Amid war and Ebola, Congo's sisters struggle to protect patients without adequate equipment

Congolese children read an advocacy poster in Bunia, Congo, May 20, 2026, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain outbreak. (OSV News/Reuters/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)

As Ebola infections rise in eastern Congo, Catholic sisters face shortages of protective supplies and growing difficulties reaching communities already devastated by years of armed conflict.

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Voices of Sisters

Sr. Nancy Sylvester, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, asks U.S. Vice President JD Vance a question about immigration during an Oct. 15, 2026, town hall event n Flat Rock, Michigan that aired on CBS Oct. 17. (OSV News screenshot/CBS News YouTube)

My encounter with JD Vance: Can being attentive to a graced moment create change?

Sometimes you find yourself in a situation that turns into a more significant moment than you ever expected. Sr. Nancy Sylvester recalls her exchange with the vice president at a town hall, and what happened next.

Presentation Sr. Cecilia Phetpanomporn gives blankets to a refugee at a camp on the border between Thailand and Myanmar. (Courtesy of Good Shepherd International Foundation)

Finding compassion behind walls and borders in Thailand

"The good Samaritan" (19th century) by Johann Nepomuk Heinemann (Artvee)

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Hidden curriculums

Editors' Choice

(GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo; photo: OSV News)

In Focus

Will 'nun girl summer' give way to another season of sisters?

Following a summer in which nuns dominated pop culture headlines and social media algorithms, one sister wonders if the trend leads to a much-needed season of synodality.

News

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Sr. Teresa Barongo, a member of the Assumption Sisters of Eldoret and a nurse at the Dorothea Health Centre, greets a patient in Nairobi, Kenya. (Shadrack Omuka)

Kenyan sister gives street children chance for dignified lives

For years, Sr. Caroline Ngatia, a member of Assumption Sisters of Eldoret, has been transforming the lives of street children as the director of Dorothea Rescue Centre.

Pedestrians walk past street signage on the first day of early voting in New York, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP/Heather Khalifa)

In lead-up to midterms, Catholic prayer vigils and novenas spread across US

As the November midterm elections approach, Catholics across the United States are preparing to pray and keep vigil, asking for peaceful polling places, honest vote-counting, and protection for voters.

Sr. Dr. Margaret Ogunkuade, a Sister of St. Michael the Archangel, distributes nutrients and medications during a community health outreach in Ketu, Nigeria. (Courtesy of Margaret Ogunkuade)

Q&A with Sr. Dr. Margaret Ogunkuade on bringing healthcare to Nigeria's rural communities

Ogunkuade sees both medicine and religious life as parts of a single calling. "Physical healing can become a doorway to spiritual transformation," she said.

Congolese children read an advocacy poster in Bunia, Congo, May 20, 2026, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain outbreak. (OSV News/Reuters/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)

Amid war and Ebola, Congo's sisters struggle to protect patients without adequate equipment

As Ebola infections rise in eastern Congo, Catholic sisters face shortages of protective supplies and growing difficulties reaching communities already devastated by years of armed conflict.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

From March Madness miracles to a season opener in Rome: The story of Catholic college hoops

Zambian sisters shelter young girls in Chirundu's red light district

How England's newest community of sisters is bucking religious decline

Feature Series

LCWR 2026

The Leadership Council of Women Religious, or LCWR, will meet Aug. 11-14 in Orlando, Florida, with the theme, "Many Charisms, One Spirit, One Call" as the organization celebrates its 70th anniversary.
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Theologians' Corner

Welcome to Theologians' Corner, where each week a different woman theologian from around the world offers a fresh reflection on the Sunday readings. Because these reflections come from diverse voices and rich perspectives, they invite readers to see the Gospel in new and deeper ways.
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Sister Advocacy at UN

Global Sisters Report is covering Catholic sisters' advocacy at the United Nations.
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Religious Life

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Two details of "Cosmovitral," a stained glass window by Leopoldo Flores in Toluca, Mexico (Photos courtesy of Ma Elena López Munguía)
Voices of Sisters

God shines through consecrated life, like light through pieces of stained glass

What if our consecrated life were a beautiful stained glass window, shaped by the profound experience of God lived by every one of us?

Sisters of the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham pose for a photo at Mary's House in Walsingham, England. (Courtesy of Community of Our Lady of Walsingham)

How England's newest community of sisters is bucking religious decline

The Community of Our Lady of Walsingham aims to tap into a new openness toward religiousness among young British people.

Sr. Mariam Gill receives an award from Pakistan's federal minister for poverty alleviation and social safety, Syed Imran Ahmed Shah, on Oct. 14, 2026, in Islamabad. (Courtesy of Christopher Sharaf)

Pakistan nuns honored with national award for healthcare, women's empowerment

Sr. Mariam Gill and Sr. Genevieve Ram Lal received the Dukhtaran-e-Pakistan Excellence Award, the first women religious in Pakistan to receive the national honor.

Srs. Ranit Pallassery, center, poses for a photo with her two supporters, Ancitta Urumbil, left, and Alphy Pallasseril, right. (Binu Alex)

Severed from the diocese, Indian nuns linked to rape case stitch up a safety net

"Collective of survivors of gender-based violence" has become the identity statement of the business three nuns started in India, where they once campaigned against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of rape.

Community News

Ministry

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Presentation Sr. Cecilia Phetpanomporn gives blankets to a refugee at a camp on the border between Thailand and Myanmar. (Courtesy of Good Shepherd International Foundation)
Voices of Sisters

Finding compassion behind walls and borders in Thailand

A Presentation Sister reflects on how fortunate she feels to have worked and ministered among refugees and prisoners, increasing her charism of justice and compassion.

Sr. Sharon Shabolyo of the Sisters of Charity of Sts. Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa with some of the girls she helps care for at the Mudzi-Wa-Moyo Orphanage in the Chirundu District of Zambia. (Derrick Silimina)

Zambian sisters shelter young girls in Chirundu's red light district

Mudzi-wa-Moyo, founded by the Sisters of Charity of Sts. Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa, currently cares for 60 girls in Chirundu, Zambia, by meeting their essential needs for shelter, food and clothing.

Sister Natali and Sister Bandita inspect the patients' rooms at Mary's House of Love, an 80-bed facility that prioritizes the local Indigenous Garo population. (Stephan Uttom Rozario)

Missionary of Charity nuns work for marginalized Garo Indigenous people

The nuns manage an 80-bed facility that prioritizes the local Indigenous Garo population, giving advanced medical care to avoid long-distance travel and economic hardship. The facility is usually fully occupied.

Irish sister brings front-line missionary perspective to Vatican curial role

In accepting her dual appointment as head of the Vatican's missionary network and as adjunct secretary at the Dicastery for Evangelization, Sr. Mary Teresa Barron said it was clear the church prioritized lived missionary experience over theological acumen.

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.