Camille D’Arienzo, RSM, is a writer, public speaker, community development liaison and member of the Mid-Atlantic Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. She has been interviewing members of the Catholic church about how their faith has affected them for her column in NCR since 2011.
Sophia Park Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy at Holy Names University and a member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. She authored a book, A Hermeneutic on Dislocation as Experience: Creating a Hybrid Identity, Constructing a Borderland (Peter Lang: New York, 2012) and has written numerous articles and chapters in books, focusing on biblical spirituality, cross-cultural spiritual direction and religious life from a global feminist perspective.
Nancy Sylvester is founder and director of the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue. She served in leadership of her own religious community, the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe, Michigan, as well as in the presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Prior to that she was National Coordinator of Network, the national Catholic social justice lobby. ICCD is beginning its third decade with new resources and programs.
Joachim Pham has been a National Catholic Reporter correspondent since December 2013 and regularly contributes to Global Sisters Report. He is based in Vietnam.
This story appears in the Sisters Making Mainstream Headlines feature series. View the full series.
April 11, 2014
The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate recently did a study about the effects of debt on educational debt and vocations to religious life. One young woman is trying a creative online solution for her student loans. This story and other happier tales, including some basketball-loving sisters, made headlines this week.
Beth Griffin is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Rye, New York. She is the New York correspondent for Catholic News Service. Beth was educated by the Sisters of Charity of New York and the Jesuits. She worked in communications and media relations for Catholic Relief Services and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Catholic News Service
April 9, 2014
In late March, anti-Christian and anti-American graffiti was scrawled on the walls of the Deir Rafat convent, also known as Our Lady Queen of Palestine. The tires of cars at the monastery also were slashed.
April 9, 2014
In the end, the declining numbers trumped the best efforts of enthusiastic alumnae and parents, committed staff and a religious congregation to save a New York school founded by an immigrant saint, but the 115-year legacy of Mother Cabrini High School will live on.
The all-girls college preparatory school in the Washington Heights section of northern Manhattan will close at the end of the 2013-14 academic year.
This story appears in the Sisters Making Mainstream Headlines feature series. View the full series.
April 4, 2014
A couple of weeks ago it was a crooning sister in Italy. This week a sister singing a different tune grabbed the lion’s share of mainstream headlines. But first, here’s a new look at a mid-century masterpiece.
Catholic News Service
April 3, 2014
Bringing the face of Jesus to the poor is an experience a group of Lebanese 10th graders will long remember about this Lent.
As Mission of Life Sr. Lina Maria Dib prepared the students for their first outreach, she led them in prayer and told them: "A lot of the situations you see will be unusual for you. But we are going to share our smile. And when you come back you are going to feel happy inside."