The Dominican Sisters are "educated, passionate and making a big difference in New Orleans in the name of God . . . I wanted to follow in their footsteps." In honor of National Catholic Sisters Week, which runs March 8-14, GSR looks into the formation process.

"God calls women from all different walks of life, from different stages, and all sorts of women. . . . The only consistent influence is that God is calling." To celebrate National Catholic Sisters Week, which runs March 8-14, GSR features four women in formation.

From the dawn of our species, what we know about the universe has come from the power of observation, that is, what we can observe in a light-filled universe. In the 13th-century Oxford theologian Robert Grosseteste described the beginning of all physical life from light. One of his major works De Luce begins with God's creation of a single point of light which, through expansion and extension, he claimed, evoked the entire physical order into existence. The expansion of light replicating itself infinitely in all directions, he speculated, is the basis of the created world. Grosseteste was not too far from modern physics.

"Gospel mission, prayerful community, and formal recognition – these are the marks, I believe, that will characterize religious life in the next millennium. The traditional vows will be replaced by a simple commitment to follow the Gospel."

Four nuns from the order founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta are reportedly among 16 killed by gunmen who attacked a church-run retirement home in Yemen, the latest attack on Christians in the increasingly lawless country.

Recently, I have heard a lot of people say "If that person becomes our president, I am seriously terrified about what might happen to our world." Each time I've heard this, I have noticed I am quick to empathize with them, to nod in agreement, to let my own fears be voiced and magnify the concern in their comment. Basically, I keep finding that I tend to contribute to the fear mongering and help make a mountain of fear from a molehill of concern. This recent pattern has left me wondering: What happened to my tendency to be an optimistic person? Why are we all so afraid? And, how is Christ really inviting us to respond during this Lenten season?

“Fighting for means we all need to aspire to the something else. It’s fighting for a vision of who we see ourselves called to be. It’s radical acceptance and fighting for the vision that makes for peace.”

Last Sunday the Gospel about Jesus and the Samaritan woman (John 4:5-42) was proclaimed at my parish. (We used the reading from Year A since we have six people entering the church. Other parishes may have used the Year C Gospel, Luke 13:1-9). This reading overflows with good news that "true worship" is not found in any building or cult but in the hearts of believers who worship God "in Spirit and in Truth." Sadly, clueless preachers frequently turn this Gospel into bad news, especially for women.