See for Yourself - Over the weekend I was watching a documentary on TV about life in a maximum security prison. As I viewed the program, two stark truths were astounding.

Decades ago, as a child growing up in the rolling hills of Northeast Iowa, I would daydream of simpler times, of the days when people were pioneers and steadily establishing their families and homes and building communities upon frontiers. I left the small town in the late 1990s shortly after my high school graduation. I began to develop friendships with people who didn't look like me.

"Try as we can to fill the cracks in our hearts, we must open ourselves to God to do the heavy lifting."

In my formation in religious life, we were taught to reach out with kindness to those who opposed us or with whom we disagreed. We were taught to build bridges as Jesus did. In my ministry on behalf of LGBT people and in my church reform work, I have interacted with traditionalists on a number of occasions. Each time I try to talk about what we have in common that unites us. That's how I feel we can begin to build bridges.

"We constantly pray to God to make order of our chaotic lives, but what if God is the very source of our chaos? What if chaos and disorder are not to be shunned and avoided but attended to and embraced?"

Sr. Valsa John Malamel, a member of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary who lived far from her original home and her congregation among the indigenous people in eastern India, was killed five years ago. She was the sole educator in the remote village and a well-known advocate for the people against encroaching coal mining interests.

Sr. Virginia Longcope, a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has run a family-style residential home for men recovering from addictions and incarceration for 23 years.

The From Service to Sisterhood initiative, a partnership between the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Catholic Volunteer Network, aims to sustain congregations by establishing volunteer programs that emphasize discernment. The initiative was the subject of a pre-conference session at the National Conference on Faith-Based Service.

Notes from the Field - Picture yourself alone in a completely silent room. No sounds, not even the distant hum of the refrigerator. At first, it might be nice. Depending on your temperament, it might be really nice. But there's a chance that after a while, it's going to get uncomfortable. Eerie, even.

"It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."