Columns

Horizons - Don't panic. Sounds an awful lot like some other sage advice — Be not afraid. Not only did Dora teach me the steps to survive literal quicksand, she models peace in anxious and chaotic times.

Last week I was overwhelmed by images of racial violence and the injustice that was being brought to our consciousness. I just kept thinking, "Where would you be, Jesus?"

Our sisters who had COVID-19 appear to be better, and we are so grateful for this. But the experience of the five weeks of their illness was so profound that it took me three months to begin to write about it.

A Place to Call Home - United by our shared belief in social justice, we will emerge from this time even more unified and devoted to the task of eliminating homelessness.

I admire how Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Michigan, are integrating the needs and experiences of our Icommunity members into a plan grounded by prayer and intentionality.

Horizons - The apostle Paul told the Romans to graciously receive the deacon Phoebe and give her any help she needed. Can't we ask the same, for women to truly share their gifts in ministry in the church?

Although the outside world became quiet, I found that I had deep anxiety about this world pandemic. I watched as the number of deaths went up in the world and especially in my own state and those where friends live.

Here in the community of Villa García, Zacatecas, Mexico, there is little or no government help at present. Yet many live with poor housing conditions, or are robbed of the little they have.

In the U.S., the extroverts get the attention, but perhaps there are bigger issues underlying the question of unheard voices in church and workplace and culture.

Contemplate This - We don't often talk about worldviews. Like the air we breathe, we aren't aware of them until something happens to make us stop and examine what we took for granted. All of us view the world with blinders on.

Horizons - Amidst lots of other changes — transitioning housemates, learning a new ministry and a new community, living in a language that isn't my first, then experiencing countless shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic — there is one comforting constant.

Last week, I finished three years in the presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the gift of a lifetime. In sifting through those treasures that I carry forward, I was struck anew not only by how much LCWR has given to me, but how much it has to offer our world.

From the beginning of my ministry, I have wanted to go to the villages. It's my passion. The Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate participate in the life of people by visiting families, sharing in their sorrows and joys.

The coronavirus lockdown in India has affected our whole system of life — physical, emotional, educational, social and spiritual. I understand better how saints of yesteryear thirsted for God in hard times.

My fellow Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa and I serve the Wau Diocese of South Sudan. We are helping to develop a child protection policy for the diocese, and to raise awareness about child safety.

Horizons - "Sister Act," which came out in 1992, has been part of the soundtrack to my life since I first watched the film, when I was around 11 or 12 years old. I watched it again after a long time, and I noticed how deeply the sisters care for each other — the loyalty and affection are deep. The communal bonds are transformative.

Is God a woman? Some people would find this simple question blasphemous. But the question has been on my mind lately as I contemplate the related issue of the role of women in the Roman Catholic Church.

Sisters in Cameroon are caught in the middle of a conflict between two factions. During an incident in June at a hospital operated by my congregation, a soldier came towards me with a gun, and said, "I can shoot you."

In 2017, I began working as a social worker at Bosco Boys, a program started by Salesian priests to help boys overcome addictions and behaviors learned on the street and get them an education.

All of us wonder, all of us ask others the same profound question Jesus asked his friends and followers: "Who do you say that I am?"