"Because, you know, I believe we are stronger together and we will go forward together. And you should never, ever regret fighting for that. You know, scripture tells us, let us not grow weary of doing good, for in good season we shall reap. My friends, let us have faith in each other, let us not grow weary and lose heart, for there are more seasons to come and there is more work to do."

It happens over and over: Young women who have never spent time with a woman religious meet a sister and almost instantly find a strong, almost inexplicable connection, despite her initial thoughts that they would have nothing in common.

Sr. Yexci Moreno reflects on her journey as a sister as well as her worries for the community and "my kids" as Venezuela weathers a crisis that has led to shortages of basic foods and medicines.

I was privileged to join a 10-day "root causes pilgrimage" to Honduras last December with a group from California, the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity. The purpose of the pilgrimage was to identify the real reasons why so many from the "Northern Triangle" — Guatemala, El Salvador, and particularly Honduras — continue to migrate north despite the many obstacles they face. Delegations like this from the United States provide a witness to the poverty, the political system, and other issues which the people face.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

As I walk the woods and enjoy the autumn beauty of the elm and maple trees, I especially admire the sturdy evergreen cedars, the "pioneer trees" that begin growing first. Here at Cedars of Peace, they simply stand, their green boughs a contrast to the other trees of the forest.

GSR Today: When I met Aayda Merhej a year ago, she struggled with the day-to-day agonies that exacted a toll on many Syrian refugees in Lebanon. "We're just trying to survive right now," she told me.

Founded as Our Lady of Angels in 1965 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, Neumann University maintains its Franciscan identity. Sr. Patricia Hutchison is director of the Neumann Institute for Franciscan Studies, which has a central role in crafting a curriculum that incorporates a perspective that is uniquely Franciscan.

When Catholic women religious launched colleges in the 19th and 20th centuries, they helped change the face of American higher education for a new generation. Now, they are addressing how to ensure that they have created a distinctive religious heritage that endures — even when they may not be around to nurture it.

Related: At Neumann University: Tea and Franciscan identity