Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer is a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and served as executive director of the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters, a grant-making organization supporting the works of Catholic sisters globally, from 1999 through October 2011. She worked for five years as a missionary in Zambia, where she taught English at a secretarial college and served as executive director for the Zambia Association of Sisterhoods, the national conference of women religious. She is on the boards of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Medicines for Humanity and the International Foundation of the Good Shepherd Sisters and has served as international liaison to women religious for Global Sisters Report since January 2014.

 

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Peria seedlings (Unsplash/Mohd Hasrul Nizam Bin Sabani)

Sisters take to WhatsApp to exchange advice in sustainable agriculture

With an eye to combating food insecurity, Sr. Joyce Meyer has formed a WhatsApp group of sisters from all over the world to share best practices and support one another in agriculture and business pursuits.

Sisters pray Aug. 15 at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly in Orlando, Florida. (GSR photo/Dan Stockman)

At the threshold of a shared future, LCWR holds a deeply moving conference

GSR Today - For Presentation Sr. Joyce Meyer, the 2024 Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly was an image of standing before a door that we have been knocking on and now is squeakily opening.

Presentation Sr. Joyce Meyer (second from left) and other participants pose for a photo in Lusaka, Zambia, during the May 29-31 convening of sisters that was sponsored by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. (GSR photo)

International sisters have made unimaginable strides in education, training

GSR Today - At a recent convening of sisters in Zambia, I was overwhelmed by a sense of awe and excitement about the evolution of religious life and its significant service worldwide over the past 25 years. 

The board of directors for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation gathered in Birmingham, Alabama, to discuss the board's equity fund. Sr. Joyce Meyer is third from right. (Courtesy of Shaheen Kassim-Lakha)

Ensuring equity for our neighbors on the margins of society

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has a distinct Equity Fund to more directly combat bias and injustice across multiple dimensions, including race, gender, disability, religion and sexual orientation.

A water tank built by hand at Franciscan Sisters of Charity's compound in the Ifumbo district of Tanzania. (Courtesy of Sr. Senorina Lukwachala)

Hope and resilience among sisters in Tanzania

It was clear to me as I was with them, that the sisters cultivated hope that strengthened their resiliency, a kind of elasticity of spirit, a suppleness to spring back after being knocked down or crushed, not allowing pain to overwhelm and overshadow hope.

On second from left, Presentation Sr. Joyce Meyer, international liaison for Global Sisters Report, meets with, from left, Sr. Francisca Ngozi Uti, Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus in Nigeria; Sr. Hedwig Muse, Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate in Kenya; and Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Uganda, during the Women Deliver conference held July 17-20 in Rwanda. (GSR photo)

'Marvelous mission of GSR' spreads good news of sisters' work

GSR Today - Global Sisters Report's columns highlight voices from sisters around the world, and their work becomes visible in new ways.

Collage of photos from GSR's "Hope Amid Turmoil" series

Series shines light on spiritual strength of Catholic sisters in conflict areas

With "Hope Amid Turmoil," the most ambitious and challenging project we have undertaken at GSR, we've been inspired by the incredible courage and deep faith of sisters serving in conflict areas throughout the world.

A depiction of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem sculpted from sand is displayed in the Italian resort town of Jesolo. (CNS/Jesolo Tourism Office)

What was pregnancy like for Mary, mother of Jesus?

GSR Today: I have been pondering what pregnancy was like for Mary after the Annunciation. I found a study of 12 women who kept diaries during their pregnancies. So, reading their stories, I did my own imagining of Mary. 

The breakout session on international congregations was led by, from left: Sr. Mary Anne Foley, Congregation de Notre Dame; Sr. Sally Hodgdon, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambéry; and Sr. Eileen Burns, Sister of Notre Dame de Namur.

Identifying with the blessings and challenges of international relationships

GSR Today - When we were asked at LCWR breakout sessions to reflect together on the challenges of membership and leadership internationally, we realized that sometimes the blessings named also brought challenges. 

On second from left, Presentation Sr. Joyce Meyer, international liaison for Global Sisters Report, meets with, from left, Sr. Francisca Ngozi Uti, Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus in Nigeria; Sr. Hedwig Muse, Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate in Kenya; and Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Uganda, during the Women Deliver conference held July 17-20 in Rwanda. (GSR photo)

Color flourished physically, spiritually at Women Deliver Conference in Rwanda

GSR Today - I was mesmerized by color this past July at the sixth Women Deliver Conference  in Kigali, Rwanda, where more than 6,000 women, girls and a few men discussed the themes of "Spaces, Solidarity and Solutions."

A husband and wife work on their farm in Abuja, Nigeria, June 10, 2020. (CNS/Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde)

Hunger in four dimensions calls for contemplatives in action

Hunger is a word that has caught my attention recently, as I reflect on four of its dimensions: human hunger, Earth's hunger for restoration and relationship, hunger for voice, and hunger for heart intelligence.

A marker erected by the Minnesota Historical Society marks the site of the dormitory of the former Morris Industrial School for Indians. (Courtesy of Elizabethada Wright)

Professor digs into history of Mercy sister's boarding school for Native children

GSR Today - Elizabethada Wright is researching Mother Mary Joseph Lynch, a 19th-century Sister of Mercy whose boarding school in Minnesota reflected a drive to integrate Native Americans into the dominant white culture.

At left: This soil on land owned by the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary in South Dakota shows that it is compact clay, not able to retain water. The congregation has started to adopt regenerative soil methods to improve the quality of the soil and crops that are produced. At right: This soil is able to retain water and is healthier after regenerative farming efforts to restore it. (Jamie Risse)

Regenerative agriculture can help bring soil back to life

As we moved into new residences, we Presentation Sisters considered our land's future. We wanted to do our best to restore the land to its original state, so we hired people who introduced us to regenerative agriculture.

The body of Sr. Margaret Slachta, foundress of the Sisters of Social Service, is re-interred on Dec. 9, 2021, at the Fiumei Road Cemetery, National Memorial in Budapest, Hungary. (Courtesy of Sisters of Social Service)

Re-interment of Sisters of Social Service foundress in Hungary pays 'homage to her spirit'

Social Service Sr. Margaret Slachta, the first woman to be elected to parliament in Hungary, fled her beloved country in 1949 for the U.S., where she died in 1974. In 2021, she was honored as her remains returned home.

2 sisters sit outside preparing food

Despite challenges, China's women religious maintain centuries of faith

GSR Today: I was greatly amazed by these women's historic and resilient commitment to Gospel life and their ability to thrive in the midst of much uncertainty in China.

Advocacy in wooden block letters (Dreamstime/Edgars Sermulis)

The times call for sisters to finely hone their advocacy skills

GSR Today - Advocacy and partnership were themes of "Leadership for Change: A Call to Action From Sisters Supporting Vulnerable Communities," an event this summer co-sponsored by UNANIMA International and UISG.

Path in Badlands National Park, South Dakota (Unsplash/Elias Wilz)

Irish laywoman deftly unpacks the mysteries of wisdom for UISG

GSR Today - Months after the UISG plenary, I'm still thinking about Jessie Rogers' talk, "Wisdom for the Synodal Journey," which inspired the assembly to engage in this journey called for by Pope Francis.

Superiors of women's religious orders meet for the plenary assembly of the International Union of Superior Generals in Rome May 3. More than 500 superiors were in attendance, with more than 100 participating online. (CNS/Paul Haring)

New UISG leaders find light and hope in global community of sisters

GSR Today - At the end of the May assembly of the International Union of Superiors General, a new UISG president and council were elected. Here, the new team shares the impact the assembly had on them as new global leaders.

Field being tilled (Unsplash/Josh Berendes)

Tilling the hard ground of our defenses and old ways surfaces transformation

GSR Today - In willing to be tilled and our souls brought to the surface, we often become aware of potential desires. What am I seeking, longing for, desiring? What are we as religious communities seeking, longing for, desiring?

From left: Sr. Pat McDermott; Sr. Margo Ritchie; Sr. Alice Drajea; and Sr. Marie Antoinette Saadé (Courtesy of Sisters of Mercy of the Americas; Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada; International Union of Superiors General)

Amid UISG plenary's first phase, leaders share stories of loss and hope

GSR Today: The International Union of Superiors General interviewed leaders to explore its plenary theme of "Embracing Vulnerability on the Synodal Journey." As I listened, I was touched by the sisters' openness and humility.