Dan Stockman

Associates have a spiritual connection to the sisters of their congregations that sets them apart from other volunteers or friends. But how can communities maintain that spiritual connection during a pandemic?

With Mardi Gras events canceled because of COVID-19, artists who create floats were out of work. Someone had the idea of decorating houses to create a stationary parade, and Presentation Sr. Mary Lou Specha signed up.

Six women religious communities and a federation of congregations of women religious have added their support to "God Is on Your Side: A Statement from Catholic Bishops on Protecting LGBT Youth," released last month.

Serving one in seven U.S. patients, Catholic Health Association members are signing on to a "We Are Called" initiative that puts health equity at the center of how they: administer care, prioritize COVID-19 treatment, build diversity in staffing at all levels, and strengthen trust with minority communities.

The documentary "Rebel Hearts" tells the story of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary whose commitment to Vatican II renewal in the 1960s would lead them to defy a cardinal and form a new community.

Catholic sisters see the incoming Biden administration as a relief. Sisters interviewed by GSR want policies more in line with Catholic social teaching; yet all of them came back to the issue of character.

Brian Kane, senior director of ethics at the Catholic Health Association, is the organization's point person on the vaccine. "Sisters are probably high up on the list. First is health care workers, of course, but then, basically, it's people at higher risk of catching it, and certainly, advanced age and whatever health conditions they have would be factors."

Catholic sisters and their communities across the nation responded to the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, calling for prayers, peace and, in some cases, new leadership.

"This is the DNA of our community, healing women." Sr. Terry Gauvin of the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec helps shepherd the anti-trafficking program CourageLIVES in the Diocese of Portland, Maine.

The number of hungry people is soaring, and federal support of food banks may end soon. Sisters spoke to GSR about adapting ministries to increased need, fewer resources and diminished relationships.

Many communities of women religious are considering or have already begun changing their structures to meet their changing demographics and needs as members age and the number of new vocations drops. Here's a look at how that can go.

Congregations of all sizes are learning that while it hurts not to be able to be together physically, virtual gatherings allow them to include many more sisters than ever before — even those too infirm to travel.

More than 1,700 people registered for the online series "A Call to Transformative Love in Religious Life: Stories of Race, Place and Grace," about religious life's role in dismantling racial injustice.

The Catholic Health Association, whose support was key in passing the sweeping health care law in 2010, is urging justices to keep the measure, commonly known as Obamacare, on the books.

"Now is the time to make space in our hearts and our communities for the needs and concerns of all God's people," the Leadership Conference for Women Religious said in a Nov. 9 statement. 

The National Religious Vocation Conference pays particular attention to newer entrants to religious life, but getting them to the annual convocation was difficult financially. But 2020's meeting saw more fresh faces.

"Everybody's thinking of this election in apocalyptic terms," but whatever the results, Americans need to find an antidote to division. And politicians won't solve all problems, several sisters told GSR.

The monthlong Nuns on the Bus tour emphasized that who Americans vote for matters. Speakers highlighted this message in a national rally and an evening town hall that concluded the virtual tour.

With themes "broad enough to encompass all of the Christian life," the Called and Consecrated curriculum for middle and high school religion classes is also a way for students to encounter sisters.

Their close connection to people, accessible even during the pandemic, makes Catholic sisters adept at signing up new voters. GSR talks to sisters in Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Kansas and elsewhere about their ongoing work in voting rights.