Catholic sisters are demanding the Vietnamese government address their petitions according to legal procedure regarding what they say is an illegal use of their land.

The Feast of St. Francis is a good time to remember that the words we choose to describe life on our planet matter.

"A stone portal reminds us of where we have been, passing through will take us to new places. Do we have the courage to move on?"

Nearly two years ago at the beginning of the Year of Consecrated Life Pope Francis called religious to wake up; "wake up the world" to the beat of this time. That is exactly what Jesus did. He was an awakened person and spent his life waking up the people to a fresh experience of the Holy One. For me one of the major beats of this time is awakening to the New Consciousness, to the sacredness and oneness of all life. Our Only Home is the dwelling place of the Holy One.

This discalced Carmelite monastery was founded in Buea, Cameroon, in 1994 by eight nuns from Mexico and follows the reform of Teresa of Avila of 1562. Sister Rosemary of the Trinity, one of the newest Cameroonian sisters, was allowed to do a written interview with me.

GSR Today - There are times when the world — humanitarian disasters, wars, presidential politics — can make you just want to curl up with a warm dog and forget about everything else for a while. That's how I've felt lately.

A country where 8 out of 10 people live in poverty, Haiti does not have the resources to help repatriate its citizens deported from neighboring Dominican Republic, where work can be found. Even for citizens of the DR  who are of Hatian descent, deportation occurs due to racist attitudes. The U.N. refugee agency is not working here, but Jesuit Refugee Services — and sisters — are.

I am always amazed at the way the mothers care for their special children. Many of them never receive the positive reinforcement of even a smile of recognition or a spontaneous hug. Their children do not cuddle or coo. But with extreme fidelity these mothers attend to the unspoken needs of their daughters and sons.

"We have in our mind the deepest felt demands of the entire human race, when we strive for peaceful co-existence and the preservation of the environment. The struggle we fight purifies and shapes the future."

"We pray your healing upon this sad and sick place. We pray wisdom and courage and transparency for all those who must work together to prevent the great harms that this place portend."