Dan Stockman

US congregations of women religious released statements following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, calling for hope and sharing their determination to serve the vulnerable.

Ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election in the U.S., Catholic sisters work polling stations and promote multi-issue voting.

"We want to be on public record as having called out this fraud so that if the outcome of next month's election is contested in Pennsylvania our integrity will not be called into question," the community said.

After three weeks on the road, Network's Nuns on the Bus & Friends tour that has been pushing for multi-issue voting came to an end in California, with rallying cries around freedom and democracy.

More than 200 nuns from around 100 congregations joined a blind walk through the streets of Bengaluru, India, as part of their campaign to promote eye donation and protect eyesight, especially among children and youth.

For 20 years, the Sisters of St. Joseph in Philadelphia have welcomed their neighbors, whether they are immigrants or people experiencing drug addiction and homelessness.

Just over a week into the Nuns on the Bus tour, sisters made a stop in Chicago where they visited a center that provides for immigrant women.

Monday Starter - More than 20 sister congregations and sister-led coalitions have joined efforts seeking federal action to curb U.S. gun and ammunition trafficking into Haiti.

"I sure didn't join the community thinking about the leadership team," Presentation Sr. Vicky Larson said, adding that after 19 years of teaching she felt "a little nudge." She's now LCWR president-elect.

GSR is looking for women religious to participate in the 2024-25 panels for The Life and La Vida. If you are interested in writing about your experiences in religious life, we would love to hear from you.

At her Sept. 3 funeral, Mercy Sr. Theresa Kane's friends, family and loved ones reflect on her life of advocacy to reform the church.

Mercy Sr. Theresa Kane, who fought for decades for the equality of women in the Catholic Church — famously publicly challenging the pope on the issue in 1979 — died Aug. 22. She was 87.

A new film to be shown on North American religious television channels and several streaming platforms portrays Blessed Clelia Merloni, the founder of the Sisters of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

With 35 years serving the poorest region in the country, as well as for her leadership within religious life, Dubuque Franciscan Sr. Nancy Schreck receives LCWR's 2024 Outstanding Leadership Award.

Considering trends within religious life that point to shifting attitudes, sisters at LCWR assembly are reminded that they are not their institutions or forms of governing. Rather, they are united by their call to be a presence of love amid suffering.

At the annual assembly for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, speakers challenge sisters to embrace this "era of change" for religious life.

After experiencing consolidation of Sisters of St. Joseph communities, Brazda understands what congregations are going through as they spin off ministries, sell buildings and campuses, and even look to completion.

The theme of this year's conference is "Our Time is Holy: Who Then Shall We Be?" recognizing that even though there are challenges, this is a sacred time filled with potential to find even deeper ways to live religious life. 

The joint conference of the National Black Sisters' Conference and other groups was rearranged so attendees could go to the funeral of Fr. Norman Fischer, who died July 14. 

This year's tour will visit 20 cities, beginning in Philadelphia on Sept. 30 and ending almost three weeks later in San Francisco on Oct. 18.