As US Catholic nuns age, more congregations turn to outside leaders

Members of a panel on pontifical commissaries speak Oct. 2, 2025, at the Resource Center for Religious Institutes annual conference in Dallas. (GSR/Dan Stockman)

As more congregations face declining numbers, they turn to commissaries for leadership, changing how communities preserve their charism and care for one another.

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Women Wage Peace leaders speak at the People’s Peace Summit 2025 in Jerusalem. (M.A. Kirk)

Israeli and Palestinian women wage peace and share light

Those advancing the Mothers' Call for Peace lead with the light proclaiming, "No child should be raised to kill or be killed." Our faith calls us to be the peace we seek.

A planted vegetable field with mulch film (Wikimedia Commons, Florian Gerlach [Nawaro], CC BY-SA 3.0 deed)

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Weeds, wheat and God's patience

Stained glass windows of Magnificat Chapel at the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in Villa Maria, Pennsylvania. (Eilis McCulloh)

Have the courage to know where you stand

Editors' Choice

Sister prays.

In Focus

Formation lessons continue unfolding in sisters' lives

"God meets us in different ways at different times and what once seemed ordinary can become extraordinary when embraced with sincerity," writes one sister.

News

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Members of a panel on pontifical commissaries speak Oct. 2, 2025, at the Resource Center for Religious Institutes annual conference in Dallas. (GSR/Dan Stockman)

As US Catholic nuns age, more congregations turn to outside leaders

As more congregations face declining numbers, they turn to commissaries for leadership, changing how communities preserve their charism and care for one another.

Members and animators of the Judith Forum participate in a gathering on May 26, 2026, at St. Mary's Forane Church in the Diocese of Thamarassery, Kerala, southwestern India. (George Kommattam)

With Judith Forum, congregations collaborate to empower widows in India

As one Carmelite Sister recalls: "Our congregation began the forum as a small initiative to help grieving women, but soon it became a rare collaborative ministry of women congregations to offer compassion and support."

A statue representing one of the Stations of the Cross at the Basilica of the Holy Rosary, Bandel, West Bengal. More than 90% of pilgrims visiting the shrine are Hindus. (Thomas Scaria)

Indian lay group slams mob intimidation of nuns in West Bengal

The harassment of Catholic nuns in West Bengal reflects a growing climate of hostility toward Christians since a pro-Hindu party came to power in the state in May, a prominent lay Catholic group has said.

Performers are seen at Estadio Azteca, renamed Mexico City Stadium for the FIFA World Cup, during the opening ceremony June 11, 2026, before the match between Mexico and South Africa. (OSV News/Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach)

Nuns hope international spotlight from World Cup shines on Mexico's disappeared

As Mexicans show their zeal for soccer everywhere during FIFA's World Cup 2026, families of Mexico's more than 130,000 disappeared want the country to have that same obsession for those who are missing.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Nuns hope international spotlight from World Cup shines on Mexico's disappeared

Indian congregation attracts vocations among Indigenous communities

Q&A with Sr. Mary Brendan Ezigbo, ministering to Nigerian inmates

Feature Series

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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LCWR 2025

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious' annual assembly will take place Aug. 12-15 in Atlanta. 
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Religious Life

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Members of a panel on pontifical commissaries speak Oct. 2, 2025, at the Resource Center for Religious Institutes annual conference in Dallas. (GSR/Dan Stockman)

As US Catholic nuns age, more congregations turn to outside leaders

As more congregations face declining numbers, they turn to commissaries for leadership, changing how communities preserve their charism and care for one another.

Sr. Catherine Lucia Phoebe Addington of the Daughters of St. Paul in Alexandria, Virginia, is pictured kneeling in prayer during her profession of vows in Boston Feb. 14, 2026. (OSV News/Courtesy of Daughters of St. Paul)

Meet 4 religious sisters dedicating their lives to God in 2026

Four religious sisters professing vows in 2026 spoke with OSV News about their vocation stories and what led them to dedicate their lives to God.

Members of the Missionaries of Charity walk after accompanying a burial for earthquake victims at La Esperanza Cemetery in La Guaira, Venezuela, July 6, 2026. Two catastrophic earthquakes hit Venezuela in quick succession June 24, leaving at least 3,500 dead, which experts say is a major undercount. (OSV News/Reuters/Adriano Machado)
Columns

After 2 earthquakes, nuns do their part in Venezuelans' compassionate response

Horizons - The disaster has plunged us into deep grief for the lost lives. Once again, our country has been shaken. And once again, we promise ourselves that we will rise, shake off the dust and keep moving forward.

A fresco in the cell of St. Benedict at the Monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy depicts Benedict weeping after foreseeing the destruction of the monastery. The Latin inscription reads, "Here he foresaw and wept over the destruction of the monastery." (GSR photo/Helga Leija)
Columns

Though he lived 1,500 years ago, St. Benedict is still a man of our times

St. Benedict, father of Western monasticism, lived in a time of turmoil, probably much like our present time. Ten hallmarks help mold the Benedictine life he established, and they continue to be relevant today.

Community News

Ministry

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Después del doble sismo en Venezuela, las religiosas reconstruyen en red la esperanza

El 24 de junio de 2026, dos sismos sacudieron Venezuela con una diferencia de 39 segundos entre ellos. Ninguna religiosa murió, pero sus obras quedaron heridas: colegios agrietados, comedores suspendidos, ancianas evacuadas. Aun así, hermanas de distintas congregaciones se organizaron en red para salir a las calles y coordinar refugios, repartir alimentos y acompañar emocionalmente a las víctimas. "Hemos entendido que solas no podemos", dice una de ellas.

Daughters of St. Anne, Ranchi, Sr. Cicilia Bara, superior of the congregation's motherhouse in Ranchi, capital of the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, poses with Sr. Rose Kongari. (Thomas Scaria)

Indian congregation attracts vocations among Indigenous communities

In the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, Sr. Rose Kongari of the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Anne, Ranchi, says that her religious vocation and tribal identity are two sides of the same coin. 

Children from the Infant Jesus Children's Home and Dinasevanasabha nuns enjoy a beach in Mangaluru, southern India, with the Dinasevanasabha (Servants of the Poor) nuns. (Thomas Scaria)

Nuns care for children with HIV, reintegrate them into Indian society

In keeping with their charism of helping the downtrodden and outcast, the Dinasevanasabha nuns run the Infant Jesus Children's Home, a center for children with HIV/AIDS in Bengaluru, southern India.

A Global Sisters Report graphic shows a child's drawing of a girl with her mom and dad, with the sun in the air and two hearts above them. (GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo)

Indian nuns help over 1,000 orphaned children find families through adoption

Nuns manage an adoption center that has placed more than 1,000 orphans with families since its inception in 1974. "Our mission is to promote and protect life," Sr. Jain Augustine Adackkanattu, the center's president, told GSR.

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.