Cultural and spiritual differences can challenge us, enrich our faith journeys

Four different fall leaves lined up on a wooden table (Unsplash/Markus Spiske)

The Life - Our sister panelists consider: When have you engaged with people whose life experiences are vastly different from your own, and how did these interactions transform your long-held ideas about life?

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Sr. Margaret Gonsalves is pictured at Niagara Falls, during a recent visit to Canada with her siblings. (Courtesy of Margaret Gonsalves)

Look through prism of oneness to celebrate colorful creation

Within God's colorful world and poetic expressions of God's harmonic creation, where is there room for discrimination against people of color and different orientations?

The Sisters of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary at the 37th General Chapter on Sept. 20 in Rome (Sujata Jena)
Horizons

My 1st general chapter a journey of faith and renewal

Sisters make Communion wafers.

A glimpse into monastic life in Vietnam

Editors' Choice

Focus

Angela (name changed) was forced to scam people online after she was trafficked to Thailand. She now receives training in catering at a local college in Lusaka, Zambia, after her return. Her training is sponsored by Catholic leaders working to end human trafficking in the country. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

In Focus

Forced into scamming, trafficking survivors in Zambia recover with sisters' help

The religious sisters who operate Talitha Kum Zambia assist trafficking victims like Angela, who responded to an ad for a teaching job in Thailand and was instead held captive and coerced into scamming people online.

News

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Religious of the Sacred Heart Sr. Mary Frohlich, center, is seen at Hirtle's Beach, Nova Scotia. She is with Sr. Diane Roche, left, and Sr. Jane O'Shaughnessy. Frolich is a hiking retreat leader and certified as a forest therapy guide. (Ellyn Stewart)

Q&A with Sr. Mary Frohlich, retreat leader and forest therapy guide

Beyond her identity as a scholar and author, and foremost in her spiritual life, Sr. Mary Frohlich immerses herself in nature. She is a skilled hiking retreat leader, and certified as a forest therapy guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.

A delegation of women ministries leaders meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Sept. 30, 2024. (Courtesy of Pilar Timpane)

Pope Francis meets with women ministry advocates ahead of the synod opening

On Sept. 30, Pope Francis met with a delegation of women at the Vatican who presented voices from the Amazon region and around the world.

Four different fall leaves lined up on a wooden table (Unsplash/Markus Spiske)

Cultural and spiritual differences can challenge us, enrich our faith journeys

The Life - Our sister panelists consider: When have you engaged with people whose life experiences are vastly different from your own, and how did these interactions transform your long-held ideas about life?

Children from the adopted community in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines, gather at the makeshift venue for tutorials, catechesis and meals. (Courtesy of Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Mother of God)

Franciscan sisters 'adopt' two Philippine communities to educate needy children

In Cordova and Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Mother of God support the education of children and offer livelihood training to their parents in poverty.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

At UN Summit of the Future, sisters highlight root causes of poverty

Q&A with Sr. Claire Sokol, composing faith-driven music for stage, screen and beyond

Woman religious who as physician treats Tennessee's uninsured receives Lumen Christi Award

Religious Life

View all in Religious Life
Four different fall leaves lined up on a wooden table (Unsplash/Markus Spiske)

Cultural and spiritual differences can challenge us, enrich our faith journeys

The Life - Our sister panelists consider: When have you engaged with people whose life experiences are vastly different from your own, and how did these interactions transform your long-held ideas about life?

The Sisters of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary at the 37th General Chapter on Sept. 20 in Rome (Sujata Jena)

My 1st general chapter a journey of faith and renewal

Her congregation's general chapter "felt like a synodal journey as we engaged in dialogue, listening, prayer and discernment to shape our future for the next six years," writes Sr. Sujata Jena.

Sisters make Communion wafers.

A glimpse into monastic life in Vietnam

When Sr. Mary Nguyen visited a Dominican monastery in Vietnam, she encountered an old friend. "This visit reminded me of the importance of spending more time in prayer for the poor, the suffering and the world," she writes.

Elderly sisters and laypeople share housing, community in French béguinage

Eight Missionary Sisters of the Gospel, ages 79 to 98, live at Chêne de Mambré, a béguinage in Angers, France. Twenty-six residents ages 70 to 100, most of them laypeople, live there as well. 

Community News

Ministry

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A delegation of women ministries leaders meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Sept. 30, 2024. (Courtesy of Pilar Timpane)

Pope Francis meets with women ministry advocates ahead of the synod opening

On Sept. 30, Pope Francis met with a delegation of women at the Vatican who presented voices from the Amazon region and around the world.

Children from the adopted community in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines, gather at the makeshift venue for tutorials, catechesis and meals. (Courtesy of Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Mother of God)

Franciscan sisters 'adopt' two Philippine communities to educate needy children

In Cordova and Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Mother of God support the education of children and offer livelihood training to their parents in poverty.

Sisters Mary Lisa, in habit, listens to patient's heart with stethoscope.

Woman religious who as physician treats Tennessee's uninsured receives Lumen Christi Award

Sister Mary Lisa Renfer, a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, is the medical director of St. Mary's Legacy Clinic, a ministry of the Diocese of Knoxville.

A group of Catholic girls from the riot-hit Manipur state in northeastern India are enrolled with the government's National Institute of Open Schooling for the continuation of their education under the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians. (Courtesy of Betsy Devasia)

Seeing church 'moving away' from India's young Catholics, sisters prioritize them

Catholic sisters in India have enhanced their youth ministry, with the aim to bring young people closer to the church, "understanding and accepting them as they are with their dreams, weaknesses and strengths."

GSR in the Classroom

Youth in a classroom raising their hands to answer questions

The project shines light on the mission and ministry of Catholic women religious around the world.

Each lesson connects articles about sisters or columns written by sisters to the good news found in scripture and church teaching. Action ideas and compelling prayer bring new learning alive. Teacher guides provide vital context and engaging activities to launch group discussions.