In April 1986, three Servants of Mary Sisters founded the Northwest Catholic Counseling Center in Portland, Oregon, to help local parishes address unmet mental health needs.

The loud voices from the lobby of the integrative health care clinic in which I worked that fall were approaching high-decibel level.

Several of we providers wandered out into the hall from our offices, trying to figure out the source of the disturbance. My medical director caught sight of me and told me, "Get Jesus Christ out of the lobby before the cops get here!"

"I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

"Prayer has been key to crafting this sense of community among us so quickly."

Being an associate means to make a public commitment to the mission of a religious institute. This allows associates to "learn and live the spirituality of certain religious institutes while following their own vocation in the world," New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law says. But almost everything beyond that is up to the individual institute.

The spiritual desire to work with like-minded people is part of the reason that more and more people in North America are hearing the call to become associates. A study released July 18 by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate shows, that since 2000, the number of associates in the United States has grown nearly 40 percent, from nearly 25,500 to more than 35,000 today. What are the implications for religious life?

GSR Today - As I sat on the five-hour flight from Los Angeles to Orlando on July 9, headed to the 2016 Sisters of St. Joseph Federation Event, it was impossible not to find my thoughts drifting to the June 12 shooting at Pulse nightclub.

In the Gospel account of Mary, Martha and Jesus we see an example of that personal sharing that means so much in our lives. I understand better why Jesus wanted Martha to give up her busy activities and join Mary and him in their time together.

Nuns on the Bus Blog - One phrase that has been running through my head over the past week is that "actions have consequences." Is it any wonder that we have a widening wealth and income inequality gap when our nation has chosen, for the past three decades, to prioritize tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals and corporations over using our resources to invest in the common good?

Nuns on the Bus Blog - "Excuse me, do the sisters take turns driving the bus?" Sarah Spengeman, our Grassroots Mobilization Manager, laughs and then responds, "No, we have a professional driver, Bill."