Sarah Mac Donald

A Jan. 12 report revealed that up to 9,000 children died in Irish mother and baby homes, many of which were run by religious congregations. Two orders issued statements of apology, as did the head of the Irish church.

Good Shepherd Sr. Louise Horgan has been working for over 50 years to empower vulnerable women and children in Thailand, and Loreto Sr. Patricia Murray has been recognized for her work in peace, reconciliation and development.

"Our vision is for an Ireland where homelessness, and the trauma caused by homelessness, is eradicated from our society," says Daughter of Wisdom Sr. Jean Quinn, founder of Sophia Housing.

President Michael Higgins led tributes from all sectors of Irish society to Dominican Sr. Margaret MacCurtain, who died in Dublin on Oct. 5.

A community of isolated nuns in the Sussex countryside in the U.K. has put their daily prayerful singing into a shareable form using new songs composed by James Morgan and Juliette Pochin.

In addition to the Benedictine sisters of Kylemore Abbey marking their centennial in December, four other communities mark anniversaries of 200, 100, 175 and 150 years: the Faithful Companions of Jesus, the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer.

On July 3, after four months of lockdown, Kylemore Abbey reopened to the public. Abbess Sr. Máire Hickey spoke to Global Sisters Report about the impact of the pandemic on the centenary celebrations, how the Benedictine community dealt with the lockdown, and the impact the crisis has had on their Connemara business.

The Religious Sisters of Charity say they will transfer their 100% shareholding in St. Vincent's Healthcare to an independent, charitable body — though some doubt that means it will be independent of Catholic rules.

Mercy Sr. Carmel McEnroy, author of a groundbreaking work on the role of women in the Second Vatican Council, has died at age 83 in Galway City, Ireland, after a long illness.