Nigerian sisters' shelter guides trafficking victims out of trauma

From left, Sr. Justina Odunukwe, Wisdom Ugochukwu Umunakwe, and Sr. Helen Omeya display an anti-trafficking poster outside the office of the Committee for the Support of the Dignity of Women in Benin City, Nigeria. (Patrick Egwu)

"I was a shadow of my former self," recalls one trafficking survivor, who is now rebuilding her life with psychological and social support from a shelter run by Nigerian sisters.

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Voices of Sisters

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(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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IHM Sr. Nancy Sylvester asks Vice President JD Vance a question about immigration enforcement at a town hall Oct. 17 in Detroit. (GSR screen capture)

Catholic sister challenges JD Vance over ICE tactics, treatment of immigrants

In a televised town hall event Oct. 17, Sr. Nancy Sylvester asks Vice President JD Vance, a fellow Catholic, how he can justify ICE's enforcement tactics to people of faith.

Under the administration of Sr. Felistar Dube, the Sikhethimpilo Centre in Maphisa, Kezi, a rural district about 65 miles north of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, supports orphans and provides humanitarian assistance in an area many aid agencies find difficult to access because of poor, dangerous roads. (Marko Phiri)

Q&A with Sr. Felistar Dube, improving lives of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in rural Zimbabwe

"Our dream for Sikhethimpilo," the Precious Blood sister said, "is to continue expanding to a model center that not only cares for orphans but also empowers them to be self-reliant."

Faithful cheer as Pope Leo XIV appears in a window of the Apostolic Palace over St. Peter's Square in his first public event since his cancer surgery, at the Vatican, Oct. 18, 2026. (OSV News/Reuters/Matteo Minnella)

Pope Leo relieves and surprises Rome pilgrims at first public event after surgery

Pope Leo XIV's early discharge from the hospital gave 15,000 pilgrims who packed into St. Peter's Square under overcast skies their chance to see the pope on Oct. 18.

From left, Sr. Justina Odunukwe, Wisdom Ugochukwu Umunakwe, and Sr. Helen Omeya display an anti-trafficking poster outside the office of the Committee for the Support of the Dignity of Women in Benin City, Nigeria. (Patrick Egwu)

Nigerian sisters' shelter guides trafficking victims out of trauma

"I was a shadow of my former self," recalls one trafficking survivor, who is now rebuilding her life with psychological and social support from a shelter run by Nigerian sisters.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Nigerian sisters' shelter guides trafficking victims out of trauma

Q&A with Sr. Mary Josephine Ogutu, an advocate for persons with disabilities

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

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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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.

The Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center March 7, 2026, in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. The facility also serves as an ICE detention center. (OSV News/St. Louis Review/Jacob Wiegand)

Monday Starter: St. Joseph Sisters stand against ICE, defend sacraments for detainees

Plus, a sister in Argentina is sentenced to 20 years for abusing hearing-impaired children, and the Sisters of St. Martha in Canada give up the hospital the congregation founded.

Pope Leo XIV looks at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes from the hill of the Carmelite Monastery of Lourdes in France, Sept. 27, 2026, after a private meeting with contemplative religious sisters. Three days later, Leo met with a group of Dominican contemplatives at the Vatican. (CNS/Vatican Media)

Pope Leo XIV urges contemplative nuns to resist a 'spirit of survival'

"Keeping silence is an act of the will that engages the whole person and helps to cultivate solid relationships, because they are animated by the Word of God," Leo told the Dominican contemplatives.

An artist rendering of the Monastery of Jesus, Mary and Joseph the Fairfield Carmelites are constructing in Fairfield, Pennsylvania. (Courtesy of the Fairfield Carmelites)

Pennsylvania nuns build stone monastery designed to last 'a thousand years'

The $100 million project, expected to take about 15 years, is reviving centuries-old masonry techniques to create a self-sustaining monastery complex that will eventually house up to 40 sisters.

Community News

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The Alliance to End Human Trafficking Highlights the Importance of Early Prevention Education at G20 Interfaith Forum

October 17, 2026
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Alliance to End Human Trafficking (AEHT), represented

WORLD FOOD DAY: Salesian Missions highlights programs that nourish students

Oct. 16, 2026
Programs include agriculture activities, feeding youth.

INT’L DAY OF RURAL WOMEN: Salesian Missions highlights projects that educate rural girls and women

Oct. 15, 2026
Day recognizes critical role, contribution of rural women. 
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Ministry

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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.

Sister Veronica, a member of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, shows a representative of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation produce from the Divine Mercy Green Farm her order operates in Nakuru, Kenya. (CNS/Handout, Missio Invest, Pontifical Missionary Societies in the United States)
Voices of Sisters

At work on the last mile: Catholic sisters are local leaders in development

As global aid declines, Catholic sisters offer a powerful lesson in sustainable development: Lasting change is built on trust, local leadership, and the people who remain long after funding ends.

Srs. Rocío García Villegas, Christine Masivo and Angella Rwezaula, participants in the Pentecost Project, are pictured during their communications training at the Vatican News studios in the Dicastery for Communication at the Vatican. (Courtesy of Sr. Rocío García Villegas)
Voices of Sisters

For one Catholic sister, communication becomes a missionary vocation

Horizons - "There are stories that don't seek the spotlight," writes Sr. Rocío García Villegas. "They just need someone who has the courage to stop, look at them and not walk right past them."

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.