Leaders of some of the congregations of women religious invited to Rome last year for further discussion of the apostolic visitation in the United States told Global Sisters Report they considered their trips constructive and a sign of better relations with Rome.

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Sr. Consilio Fitzgerald is a pioneering Irish Mercy sister, a nurse by training, who has spearheaded the provision of residential treatment for those with addictions in Ireland for 50 years. She has a saying: No matter how difficult the obstacle she faces, "Our Lady will provide." 

Contrary to what is stated in Laudato Sí, I don't see a "lack of interest" — in me or in anyone else in seeking solutions to the environmental crisis. What I see and experience is a sense of powerlessness, a feeling of being overwhelmed, a fear of being swallowed alive by forces far beyond what the average person can control.

"One by one crystals join to link with each other, diversity bringing beauty and unity. If we could only do the same."

GSR Today - In its three years of existence, the International Day of Prayer, Reflection and Action Against Human Trafficking has shown remarkable growth.

A recent report submitted to the U.N. details the repression of religious minorities in India. For me, it revives painful memories of perhaps the biggest attack on India's Christian community in 300 years, violence that occurred in my native district of Kandhamal.

In October, when nearly 150 sisters came together in Nairobi from across Africa for the Hilton Foundation and African Sisters Education Collaborative Convening, most of the time was devoted to exploring the future of sisters and their ministries. But before looking forward, it is essential to look back at the stories that shaped each sister. Global Sisters Report led a writing workshop in Nairobi and, here, the sisters tell their stories.

"To be a creature of God is to be brought into relationship in such a way that the divine mystery is expressed in each concrete existence."

There is little doubt that religious life will change, though no one knows what that change will bring. One place to look is at the new religious communities being formed — an act made much easier by a directory of those communities released Feb. 1.