"I object to the notion that anyone can be trafficked as if everything can be reduced to girls and young women being plucked from the streets. ... The larger dynamic is that trafficking tends to be at the far end of a continuum of violence and exploitation that already existed in many girls' lives."
"I was discovering that the secret to joy is not perfection or acclaim or upward mobility, but compassion and hiddenness and downward mobility."
St. Francis of Assisi had a vision of universal kinship. What he and the sultan really did was share their faith with each other. How does that challenge me as a Franciscan today?
The Life - "True formation happens when I am fully present to my daily reality. Then the word of God pierces my heart in the most unexpected ways, through the hands of his people." In the debut installment of the second year of GSR's feature The Life, our new panelists share what they've learned from work and life as a sister.
GSR Today - Welcome to the second year of our monthly series called The Life. A panel of 25 sisters will share their reflections on the unique, challenging lives of Catholic women religious. Meet our new panelists for the 2018-19 edition of The Life.
"If I am truly a person of encounter — open to the presence of Christ in the heart of the person in front of me, regardless of differences in opinion, political leanings, race, nationality, gender identity, and other categories — I cannot help but be changed by the experience."
Sr. Dorothy Pagosa is the social justice coordinator for the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. She has been in social justice/systemic change work for 33 years, most of that time also working at the 8th Day Center for Justice in Chicago.
Horizons - In recent months, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on and praying with the call to be experts in communion — to be people who seek encounter and encourage dialogue. As I've reflected on this call, what keeps coming to me is the necessity of metanoia.
See for Yourself - A friend was telling me about her role in the service organization to which she belongs. The club has an active presence in the community and provides support for a variety of activities, including student scholarships.
"It is part of my work to be in dangerous areas. I am happy to be here. I have a calling and a mission to be here. We believe the Gospel should be taught in everyday life no matter the circumstances."