Help us raise $300,000 for NCR!

We have raised $158,746 from 784 supporters. We are 53% of the way to our goal!

Olivia Bardo

Olivia Bardo

Olivia Bardo is the multimedia/social editor at Global Sisters Report. She grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where she spent her time reading fiction, picking wildflowers and cloud watching. She calls northern New Jersey home. 

Olivia is a graduate of Messiah University, where she majored in English and minored in political science and gender studies. She also had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Oxford. 

Before joining the team at GSR, Olivia was an editorial assistant at Sojourners and a marketing intern at Commonweal. She is interested in conversations on women, gender, culture, communion and hope. She has written for Sojourners, Commonweal, New Jersey Monthly, Clerestory and The Porch.

Though it’s hard to select just one, her favorite fiction book is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, but The Dutch House by Ann Patchett brought her to tears. You’re likely to find Olivia reading, drinking tea, baking bread, riding her bicycle, and wandering through art galleries.

By this Author

The name "Franciscus" is seen engraved on the tomb of Pope Francis inside the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on April 27, 2025. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

'Pope Francis deserves better': Tomb inscription draws criticism

Many mourners flocking to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to view the tomb of Pope Francis have pointed out one flagrant error: the spacing in the tomb's inscription.

Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle leads the recitation of the rosary for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis April 24, 2025, at Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the pope is to be buried April 26. (CNS/Pablo Esparza)

How Gen Z is meme-ifying the conclave

Gen Z is adding their own unique take on the upcoming conclave and reacting in their own language: memes.

Youth gather in St. Peter's Square the evening of April 26, hours after hundreds of thousands of Catholics, leaders and diplomats crammed into St. Peter's Square to mourn the death of Pope Francis. (NCR photo/Olivia Bardo)

Peaceful hope descends on St. Peter's Square

In the span of about 12 hours, the St. Peter's Square went from bursting at the seams with nearly 250,000 people crammed in for a papal funeral to peacefully quiet.

Vatican twitter profile

Social media mourns Pope Francis

Millions of social media users — presidents and politicians, theologians and celebrities — flocked to social media to share tributes, reflections and stories of the late pontiff.

Let them eat King Cake, but not the baby!

Between Epiphany and Mardi Gras, people all over the world eat King Cake. Whether simply because it tastes good or because people love holiday traditions, the King Cake is beloved.

Nikki Glaser attends the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., Jan. 5, 2025. (Reuters/Daniel Cole)

Reporter's Inbox: Nikki Glaser's Catholic take on 'Wicked' at the Golden Globe Awards

 No one was off limits in the comedian's jokes, including the pope, who also received a bit of production value.

"Cookies of Joy" made by Olivia Bardo this Advent (NCR photo/Olivia Bardo)

Reviving 12th-century St. Hildegard's 'cookies of joy'

St. Hildegard said her cookies of joy "calm all bitterness of the heart and mind, open your heart and impaired senses, and make your mind cheerful." In this Christmas season, we need to revive these cookies of joy.

vintage television (Pixabay/sithuarkaryangon)

Reporter's Inbox: SNL alludes to Pennsylvania Benedictines in post-election cold open

On Nov. 9, the cast of "Saturday Night Live" tackled the task of performing their first episode after the election of Donald Trump as 47th president of the U.S. — and gave a shoutout to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie.

Advertisement