Sister Marie Claire, a Hindu convert, joined the Salesian Missionaries of Mary Immaculate when she was 17 and running away from an arranged marriage. She became an artist whose work reflects the messages of Jesus and the church's mission in India.

"Love is the most important thing in the whole world. I feel like this is 100 percent of what the Catholic church teaches."

What drew me to Thomas Merton (and still does) was his deep inner search for truth and light, his inner yearning for God.

I attended a conference recently that led me to reflect upon the importance of raising awareness of sexual violence against children and protecting them from abuse. Children need better information, parents need to speak up and society needs to actively protect the vulnerable.

GSR Today - We don't like the unknown. We don't like not knowing what's going to happen. We fear the path we cannot see. The unknown has many people afraid right now.

"If standing up for justice and for peace for all people should call us to leave behind what's comfortable and what's safe, will we, too, be compelled?"

GSR Today - We have been following the Women's March on Washington and the other similar marches around the world today. We have reporters on the ground in Chicago, New York, Boston, El Paso and more (even Tel Aviv). Check in. Send us news on our Facebook site.

Catholic women made sure their voices were heard among the millions who gathered at marches and rallies in cities and towns across the United States and around the world on January 21 to stand up for women's rights and send a signal to President Donald Trump about a wide range of issues.

The words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. haunt me. Are we too comfortable in the center of society as to step out to the margins? Are we too focused on the divisions among us that we do not have the courage to be the Christians we are called to be?

See for Yourself - "I'll take a guess and ask, are you from Austria?" I query. "That's a great guess, but I'm actually from a country slightly north of Austria. I'm from Latvia."