We ask Catholic leaders: What's your hope for America at 250?

A person carries an American flag at the Great American State Fair, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

"What is your hope for America at 250?" Read responses from political leaders (including two former speakers of the House), leaders in ministry, Catholic activism, and Catholic colleges and universities.

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Sr. Margaret Cessna's mother and her two brothers are pictured in this childhood photograph. Cessna's Uncle Matt, who died before she was born, is on the right. (Courtesy of Margaret Cessna).

My Uncle Matt and the work of remembering

"If there are literally billions of people that we will never know, is it too much to ask that we actively remember the ones that are directly connected to us, even if we never met them in person?" writes Sr. Margaret Cessna.

Participants attend the June 13, 2026, workshop "Neighboring the Dear Neighbor" hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph at their center in Cleveland. (Kaleigh Tuck-McCalla)

'Neighboring the Dear Neighbor' workshop equips Catholics to support migrants

A photo presents an extreme close-up of a pair of hands holding and possibly offering forward a full glass of drinking water. (Unsplash/Amanda Yum)

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The demands and generosity of discipleship

Editors' Choice

Patients soak their foot ulcers before receiving new dressings at the Dhanjuri Leprosy Center in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Proper hygiene is a critical component of preventing secondary infections in leprosy cases. (Piyas Biswas)

In Focus

Missionary-launched medical center leads Bangladesh's leprosy fight

Photo essay - The Dhanjuri Leprosy Center has dedicated caregivers, including religious sisters and local medical professionals, providing comprehensive support since 1927.

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A person carries an American flag at the Great American State Fair, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

We ask Catholic leaders: What's your hope for America at 250?

"What is your hope for America at 250?" Read responses from political leaders (including two former speakers of the House), leaders in ministry, Catholic activism, and Catholic colleges and universities.

A Catholic nun accompanies a family of asylum seekers inside immigration court on Aug. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP/Olga Fedorova)

As US turns 250, Catholic nuns reaffirm values of justice that shaped their ministry

Some 191 congregations and 343 individual sisters in leadership signed a Declaration of Commitment and delivered it to Capitol Hill.

Sr. Perpetua Namasiku Mutonga, a member of the Little Sisters of St. Francis and the founder of Tumelo Catholic Media, evangelizes and shares messages of faith at Livingstone's Radio Musi-O-Tunya. (Derrick Silimina)

Q&A with Sr. Perpetua Mutonga, reaching hearts through the media in Zambia

Tumelo Catholic Media is shaped by the vision of Sr. Perpetua Namasiku Mutonga, a member of the Little Sisters of St. Francis and a pioneer of the Catholic media landscape in Livingstone, Zambia.

Pope Leo XIV addresses cardinals gathered for the opening working session of his second consistory in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican June 26, 2026. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Leo names Salesian sister as prefect of Vatican’s human development dicastery

Pope Leo XIV has named Sr. Alessandra Smerilli prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Vatican announced June 30, making her the latest woman elevated to lead a major Vatican office under the new pontificate.

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ICE releases Texas nun after detaining her on the way to Sunday Mass

Sacred Heart visionary's relics travel US amid nation's 250th anniversary

Formation lessons continue unfolding in sisters' lives

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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Salesian Sr. Kaitlin Trokan throws out the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game June 14, 2026. (Courtesy of Milwaukee Brewers)

Monday Starter: Salesian nun throws first pitch ahead of a Brewers win

Plus, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, sell their Jubilee Farm after 27 years of stewardship.

Sister prays.

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.

At the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Peace in Columbus, Ohio, jubilarians renew their vows on June 7, 2026, at a gathering to celebrate their milestone anniversaries of religious life, ranging from 50 to 80 years. (Courtesy of Ana Gonzalez)
Columns

Jubilarians are living witnesses of religious life and its Spirit-led changes

As I looked at the jubilarians, I reflected on their decades of prayer, ministry, service and fidelity lived one day at a time. Each of these women had once said yes to a call whose future she could not fully imagine.

The new Italian documentary film "Agnus Dei" follows the Benedictine sisters in Rome who care for two lambs whose wool becomes part of a papal vestment — a centuries-old tradition. The lambs' principal caretaker is Sr. Vincenza Portaluri, shown here with the animals. (Riccardo Ghilardi)

Inside a Benedictine monastery, nuns raise lambs whose wool is for the pope

A new Italian documentary, "Agnus Dei," follows the Benedictine sisters who care for two lambs whose wool becomes part of a vestment for the pope and archbishops — a centuries-old tradition.

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Ministry

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Pope Leo XIV addresses cardinals gathered for the opening working session of his second consistory in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican June 26, 2026. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Leo names Salesian sister as prefect of Vatican’s human development dicastery

Pope Leo XIV has named Sr. Alessandra Smerilli prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Vatican announced June 30, making her the latest woman elevated to lead a major Vatican office under the new pontificate.

Sr. Mary Brendan Ezigbo works at the Enugu Custodial Center in southeastern Nigeria, where she attends to the spiritual needs of inmates. (Ekpali Saint)

How one Catholic nun is helping Nigerian inmates find faith and a second chance

Daughter of Divine Love Sr. Mary Brendan Ezigbo says catechesis to inmates is "a call I received from God to reach out to these poor souls. ... I am called to work among the least of Jesus' brothers."

Housemaids prepare food during the 20th anniversary celebration of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul sisters' housemaid training program on May 10, 2026, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (Joachim Pham)

Vietnamese nuns defend dignity over quick money in housemaid training

The Salesian-run Phuoc Loc Technology College has trained hundreds of disadvantaged women from across Vietnam in cooking, childcare, elder care, communication skills and personal formation.

Rochester Franciscan Sr. Phyllis Sellner, of Palm Desert, California, hands goody bags to men at the Cobina Posada del Migrante shelter where sisters and their friends celebrated Father’s Day June 6, 2026, in Mexicali, Mexico. (GSR photo/Rhina Guidos)

Nuns take Father's Day to the border, visiting dads separated from their children

"If they didn't have this event to go to, they would have nothing," St. Joseph of Carondelet Sr. Suzanne Jabro said of fathers in Mexicali separated from their children.

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.