"Bless the waters that quench the thirst of the land. Bless the people who suffer raging storms. Bless those who use water wisely tending the future."

GSR Today - Afghanistan earthquake damage recovery is slow; Syrian Catholic priest released from ISIS captivity; honoring Charity Sr. Patricia Wittberg and the late Mercy Sr. Mary Ann Walsh.

Humility Sr. Anne Victory and some of her sisters started the Cleveland-based Collaborative to End Human Trafficking in 2007 after attending a conference on immigration and trafficking. The collaborative works with eight other agencies, including the FBI, to offer in-services and workshops and to provide speakers and volunteers. The idea is to create a safety net for those being trafficked. The collaborative also works to raise awareness among professionals like nurses, social workers, educators and local law enforcement officers.

NCR preview - Newly released U.S. Census data confirms that the country continues to face a national poverty crisis “straining millions of families and stalling our nation’s prosperity and growth,” said Dominican Sr. Donna Markham, president and chief executive of Catholic Charities USA,  in a press briefing Sept. 17.

"Economic powers continue to justify the current global system where priority tends to be given to speculation and the pursuit of financial gain, which fail to take the context into account, let alone the effects on human dignity and the natural environment."

GSR Today - Friday, Oct. 23 came and went without much fanfare, at least in the courtroom. That was the day that Judge Dolly Gee had given the U.S. government to be in compliance with her court order of July 24, 2015, regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s practice of detaining minors from Central America. But outside the courtroom, plenty has been going on.

Distraction may foster evolution for some, but it also poses the threat of diverting the energy of the whole system. If we are caught up in the pressing needs that the majority identifies, we can’t put in the energy needed for growth. And yet, we can’t forgo the now for the next. Ultimately, the two need to be held in balance.

"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."

Sr. Mary Nguyen Thi Phuc of the Secular Institute of the Sacred Heart of Jesus designed a savings and credit program for women living with HIV/AIDS in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Most of the women were infected with HIV/AIDS by their husbands or boyfriends and have poor education and no vocational skills, so being able to get a start in something productive makes a difference in their lives. The money helps them start small businesses so they can support themselves and afford to send their children to school.

Since 1980, Mercy Sr. Marilyn Lacey has worked with displaced populations in the United States and in refugee camps overseas. Through her work, she had the opportunity to visit South Sudan in 1992, and the experience vastly altered the course of her life and work. In 2008, Lacey founded an organization called Mercy Beyond Borders to aid women and girls living in extreme poverty in South Sudan (and, eventually, Haiti). She spoke to Global Sisters Report about the culture of the war-torn region and the work Mercy Beyond Borders is doing.