Religious Life

Pope Francis on April 26 dramatically expanded participation in the Vatican's upcoming Synod of Bishops to include lay men and women, for the first time granting them a right to be appointed as full voting members.

"I stand on the shoulders of giants. ... Vocations grow; they don't just happen," said Sr. Mary Francis Bard, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Family, in an April 23 reflection for the National Day of Prayer for Black Vocations.

The 2022-23 members of the InterCongregational Collaborative Novitiate cohort are appreciating each other's varied cultural traditions as they continue discernment with their different religious congregations.

Mercy Sr. Rosemary Connelly, former executive director of Misericordia and lifelong advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities, will receive the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics.

The North American Association of Dominican Monasteries has partnered with the Dominican Friars of the Western Province as they prepare to launch a public process to explore future options for the restoration and use of the Monastery of the Angels in the Hollywood Hills.

Sr. Liliana Franco said that while Latin America remains a place of pain and bloodshed, it is one where the church can help the "perpetually excluded."

The canonization cause of Mother Mary Lange, founder of the world's first sustained women's religious community for Black women, has taken a step forward.

Pope Francis has significantly increased the Vatican's female workforce, including in high-ranking positions, but women face continued resistance from the all-male Catholic hierarchy to access leadership positions in the church, according to Vatican statistics and independent surveys released March 8.