EarthBeat

Catholic priests and nuns joined hundreds of activists demanding to stop a geothermal project on the predominantly Catholic Flores island in Indonesia, saying the project violates villagers' land rights and damages the environment.

Missionary Sister of the Queen of Apostles Ajita Mathew Vettikuzhakunnela started a farming company in September 2023, owned and governed by rural women in northern India. 

Hermanas católicas se unieron en El Salvador a la campaña de la Iglesia "Sí a la vida, no a la minería", una petición de restauración de la ley de 2017 —derogada en 2024— que prohibía la minería metálica. Las religiosas, los obispos y grupos católicos de laicos han protestado por el riesgo contaminante que supone la extracción minera para las fuentes de agua y el peligro para la salud de las poblaciones pobres. 

Sisters are participating in the church's campaign: "Yes to life, no to mining," calling for the restoration of a law against metal mining in El Salvador. 

The foundation of good fruit lies in healthy soil. But in these times, when not-so-good fruit has become the norm, how do we cultivate the richness of our spiritual soil?

"Ash Wednesday reminds us of our own fragility and our limitations," writes Sr. Ellen Dauwer. 

"My life was shattered when I came to know my son Kashi was unable to walk or talk. Now, I have hope because of Sister Mareena [Mathew]," Keerthi Ramakrishnan said. Mathew's congregation manages a school for children with disabilities in Kerala, India.

In the lead up to the 20th anniversary of the death of Sister Stang, who is considered by many as a "Martyr of the Amazon," a relic containing blood-soaked soil from the site of her murder was enshrined at the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island in Rome on Jan. 10.