Melody Finnemore

Melody Finnemore

Melody Finnemore has been a freelance writer in the Pacific Northwest for more than 20 years. Prior to that, she worked for a daily business newspaper for several years before joining the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon as public relations coordinator and serving as a Peace Corps
volunteer in South America. 

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A view of the skyline of Omaha, Nebraska: Asylum seekers from as far away as Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia and Sierra Leone are building new lives with the assistance of the nonprofit organization Omaha Welcomes the Stranger. (Dreamstime/Wirestock)

Sisters help migrants build new lives through Omaha-based support network

In addition to offering shelter, food and employment assistance to asylum seekers, Omaha Welcomes the Stranger provides transportation to health care and legal appointments, as well as help enroll children in school.

Clockwise, from top left: Host/moderator Meghan Clark, associate professor of theology and religious studies and assistant chair of St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Jesuit Fr. Brian Strassburger, director of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries; Fred Cocozzelli, chair of the department of government and politics at St. John's University; and Rhina Guidos, GSR Latin America regional correspondent, take part in discussion on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. (Screenshot by Melody Finnemore)

Panel discussion spotlights Nicaraguan government's oppression of Catholic Church

Fear of the political crisis and, in particular, the targeting of the Catholic Church is driving many Nicaraguans to flee to the U.S. border in search of asylum, as panelists discussed during a March 6 event.

Sr. Abby Avelino, pictured here second from the right, participates in World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, with Talitha Kum’s international team and youth supporters. (Courtesy of Abby Avelino)

Q&A with Sr. Abby Avelino, leader in international effort to end human trafficking

Talitha Kum marks its 15th anniversary this year. The global network against human trafficking is initiating new programs and continuing others. Sr. Abby Avelino described these plans with Global Sisters Report.

"A Garden's Promise, " a photograph by Sr. Jacqueline Leiter (Courtesy of Jacqueline Leiter)

Q&A with Sr. Jacqueline Leiter, sharing love for God through painting, photography

"Gazing on the beauty of the world, of land, sky, water and on the beauty of each other becomes a way to encounter the holy in our lives and invites us to open our hearts to something new," says Sr. Jacqueline Leiter.