"I, little brother Francis, wish to follow the life and poverty of Jesus Christ our Most High Lord and of His Most Holy Mother and to persevere therein until the end. And I beseech you all, my ladies, and counsel you, to live always in this most holy life and poverty. And watch yourselves well that you in no wise depart from it through the teaching or advice of any one."

"When you're a midwife, you're really involved in the total recreation of the universe all the time," says Franciscan Sister of Mary Angela Murdaugh. 

An extraordinary blessing of Australians are our aboriginal indigenous peoples. These peoples cherish the Earth; their unique "Dreaming" spirituality reflects this. "The Dreaming" is their timeless way of interpreting creation, relating to their ancestors, and passing on their knowledge, stories and laws for existence.

Sr. Obehi Ogbeide is a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur who studied nursing and midwifery and works in the health care field, coordinating the HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis program in the Diocese of Kroonstad. "To be able to contribute to the health and well-being of any person is a thing of joy," she says.

GSR Today - Instead of looking at my life as one of constantly failing, I now look at it as a life gifted beyond measure because God is constantly forgiving me.

How did I discover the Eucharist is my basement? The story begins long ago. I have been shaped by experiences of sharing food in places where we worked for social justice.

From the sisters on the road: We followed along Oct. 2 as about 20 people, including at least five sisters, biked100 miles from just east of Erie, Pennsylvania, to Niagara Falls, Ontario, for the Communicators for Women Religious annual conference Oct. 3-6 there.

It's National Midwifery Week in the United States, but for many international health organizations, midwives are the answer to the world's continuing maternal health crises. Since 2008, the U.N. has been actively trying to increase the number of midwives worldwide, believing they have the ability, not only to prevent two-thirds of maternal and newborn deaths, but also to provide the overwhelming majority of reproductive and maternal health services. And Catholic sisters are heeding the call.

"I am not a visionary. I claim to be a practical idealist. The religion of nonviolence is not meant merely for the rishis and saints. It is meant for the common people as well."

The Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Columbia, Pennsylvania, have been handed another legal defeat. Judge Jeffrey Schmehl dismissed the sisters' lawsuit that claimed the construction of a pipeline on their property was a violation of their religious freedom. In a statement sent to GSR, the Adorers said they were "disappointed" with Schmehl's ruling and plan to appeal.