July marked the third time the Oblate Sisters of Providence were included in the decennial meeting of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The three Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary congregations, in Scranton and Immaculata, Pennsylvania; and Monroe, Michigan — and the Oblates — share a biracial co-founder in Theresa Maxis Duchemin. The meeting is a time for the congregations to celebrate their shared history and to update each other on their lives and ministries. For more than 160 years, the congregations' common history had been kept closely under wraps by leadership in the Immaculate Heart of Mary communities who did not want to be associated with a black sister.

Every once in a while something really special comes across my inbox. Recently a friend who teaches theology, "Margie," sent me this story about her 5-year-old daughter Olive. For kindergarten homework, Olive was assigned to draw pictures of things that begin with the letter "G." When she came home she proudly displayed drawings of a ghost, a garage and her grandpa. But a fourth picture was not so easily identifiable, so my friend asked Olive what it was supposed to be.

"Do we ignore the commonplace plight of the homeless or sit pondering why and what to do?"

Three Stats and a Map - This morning, the Pew Research Center released a 140-page report on the beliefs and opinions of the United States’ Catholic adult population, an in-depth look at what they believe about family life and the church.

From A Nun's Life podcasts - Why would you want to give your entire day to God if it's been a really tough day?

GSR Today - Bomb blasts, shootings and suicide bombers are the every day stories we hear about Afghanistan, but in the midst of it all, brave women religious are undeterred. Three sisters serve the most underserved people of Kabul, creating alternative stories of hope.

Conversations with Sr. Camille - David Hammer, 56,is an inmate serving a life sentence without parole. He talks about his conversion to Catholicism, choices and giving back.

"The life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us.”

GSR Today - I came back to work feeling pumped up about journalism and the world. Then the Internet happened. It’s crazy to me that even today — even among people who should know better — misogyny-tinged racism can be so easy.

GSR Today - For a moment, it appeared that peace may at last come to South Sudan. Meanwhile recovery in Nepal trudges slowly on.