"It is important not to polarize. We need to work with one another on behalf of God's creation: one heart, one mind holding before us the needs of our environment."

My fears about hijra have gone. Instead, something inside me tells me to do something more for them so that they can claim their rightful place in society. The Lord gathers the outcasts, and so must we.

Hundreds of thousands are expected to assemble at the National Mall for the Women's March on Washington Jan. 21, one day after Trump's presidential inauguration. Catholic sisters from around the country are among those headed to D.C.

"We have a president-elect who doesn't have a basic understanding of the role the environment plays in sustaining all of life," says Adrian Dominican Sr. Pat Siemen. Her community and others are prepared to mobilize their women religious to resist.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

About 125 groups in 25 states and several foreign countries participated Jan. 15 in an international event centered on gathering together, holding hands and meditating on love and peace. 

Notes from the Field: After spending five and a half months teaching English to young adults at a technical/vocational school in Dilla, Ethiopia, it was time to make the trip north to Geneva to begin the second part of my volunteer mission.

Fiction and poetry hold a mirror up to ourselves, show us who we are and who we might be. We are characters in a book called Life. We face moral dilemmas, grow in grace, and recognize choices writ large in stories.

In the 25 years that Sister of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate Juanita Ujcik worked in jail ministry, she says she learned a lot about what she believes is complicated system. That's why, in October, she published Let None Walk Alone, a guidebook for the family and friends of incarcerated people.

"What if we talked together instead of at one another — building bridges of hope?"