In Bangui, Central African Republic, six Missionaries of Charity nuns run an orphanage for about 30 young girls up to the age of 18 who find themselves homeless and on the street. The girls can't return home because they have run away — or were chased away after they were accused of being witches. In this country, the significance accorded to superstitions concerning witchcraft and the supernatural is very high.

Driving through the streets of Albuquerque on the way to a memorial service for Sr. Paula Gonzalez, I felt strongly the presence of the many pioneer Sisters of Charity who ministered there since the days of the Wild West. The intrepid Sr. Blandina Segale, now Servant of God in the process of canonization, arranged for the establishment of the school in the plaza of Old Town, and the convent there still bears her name.

See for Yourself - Are you sleepy in the morning and don't feel like getting up? There's a secret to reversing that. Are you slated to attend a reception but hate that type of event? There's a secret to reversing that.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! So begins Psalm 84, a favorite of our community's founder, Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli. As the story goes, he prayed this psalm at the dedication of every church he helped build on the American frontier — and he built a lot of them. In his final days, he again found solace in reciting the familiar words.

"As we move from contemplative prayer to reflecting on the realities facing us we will be invited to engage with others out of a deep empathy. We will cast a circle of protection which embodies the values of love, hope, equality, inclusivity, justice, sustainability, peace and right relationships."

"We live a simple life in poverty and in harmony with people," says Sr. Mary Nguyen Thi Nguyet, vice superior of the Carmelites of Sacred Heart congregation. "We try to develop close relationships with neighbors, do all kinds of manual work for a living like others, and bear witness to the good news. Many people call us farmer nuns and treat us like their relatives and friends."

Two years ago, the women of the Ngando women's peacemaking group, an empowerment project in a slum of Nairobi, used to sit on a blanket and make their beaded handicrafts under the shade of a tree in the church courtyard. But with the arrival of a new store in a converted container, proudly advertising their wares along the busy Ngong Road, the group has blossomed. The peacemaking circle has doubled in size and implemented a thriving "table banking" system, providing temporary loans to up to five women per week.

Admit it! We have all done it, haven't we? Stuffed our old clothes in a bag, or maybe, first washed and folded them neatly, and then given them away. Sometimes, the clothes just do not fit anymore. Or, we need more room in our drawers for newer clothes and are just too tired of folding that sweater we have not worn in forever. At other times, we call it cleaning out our closets. I have heard of some who give away an old item every time they buy something new.

"If you want to see the brave, look for those who can forgive. If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred."

Notes from the Field - If it had been just me, I would have rolled over and been asleep again in minutes. But three other people had also set alarms and would be downstairs in 10 minutes, ready to go. If they could do it, so could I.