See for Yourself - The conference room was filling up and I took a seat next to Doug, a leadership colleague I’ve known for years. He was struggling to maneuver with his left hand, including opening his laptop and getting his meeting materials organized in front of him. His right hand sported a bulky, mitten-style bandage. What if our urgency to love could be more immediate than bleeding?

Pope Francis is called the "people's pope," and with good reason: He appeals to all people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The whole United States seemed to be agog with his September visit to our country, and I was no exception. Like a puppy, I followed him, visiting Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; and New York during the days of his U.S. tour.

"One of the things I appreciate very much being in the synod is the universality — the whole world is there," Sr. Carmen Sammut says. "The groups are made up to have very big differences, to have very different backgrounds."

The rapidly growing Houston archdiocese, now the fifth-largest in the country, offers a wide variety of programs to help immigrants shift their focus from physical survival to their economic and emotional well-being. 

Three Stats and a Map - This past Saturday was World Day Against the Death Penalty. The day has special significance this year for Catholics, because earlier this year Pope Francis issued his most forceful call yet to abolish the practice, which he says is inconsistent with the Catholic Church’s pro-life values.

Simply Spirit - "What is needed now . . . is a gospel-inspired boldness that refuses to be silent and speaks out in a strong, loving voice to call the church to justice."  So spoke Sheila Peiffer quoting the late Bill Callahan when she introduced a panel presentation Survivor Justice and Ending Violence Against Women, at the Women's Ordination Worldwide conference last month.

"Our present human community is hungering for transcendence, to evolve to a new level of life that is more unified, peaceful and collaborative. Instead we find ourselves in the church spending an inordinate amount of time and money trying to preserve ancient rituals and tradition."

From A Nun's Life podcasts - In this Random Nun Clip from that show, a listener asks, "What is the most unexpected part of being a sister?" Our guest nuns Sr. Barbara Vano, OSF, and Sr. Deborah Borneman, SSCM, respond.

"Colors paint the marsh, and I, like the heron, was lucky enough to see it."

GSR Today - Between Columbus Day and Haloween, October might possibly be the most racist month in the United States. Racism, after all, is not simply the overt hatred of minorities. Racism includes the institutional structures that keep minorities from being equal players in our society.