Ann Laszok is a Sister of St. Basil from Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. After teaching in elementary school, she held faculty and administrative positions at Manor College, completed a graduate degree in religious studies and pastoral counseling from Fordham University, and took graduate coursework at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. For many years, she has been director of religious education of the Eparchy of St.
Catholic News Service
November 30, 2018
Sr. Norma Pimentel's caring outreach to immigrants on the U.S./Mexico border earned her the praise of Pope Francis in 2015 during an ABC-TV virtual town hall meeting with the pontiff.
Diana Hayes is a Religious of the Sacred Heart in the Australia-New Zealand Province. She was a primary school teacher and then worked for a social work degree in mid-life. She worked in a hospital with children and adults with cerebral palsy and in community aged care before taking up roles more internal to her congregation and working in vocation ministry. Hayes attended St. Beunos in North Wales in 2014 to do a course in retreat giving and spiritual direction.
by Tracey Horan
Contributor
November 30, 2018
Horizons - This experience of sharing community at the Catholic Worker house with people from different spiritualities, different professions and trades, different races and ages, different gender expressions and personalities: It got under my skin.
This story appears in the HIV/AIDS Ministry feature series. View the full series.
by Saji Thomas
Contributor
November 29, 2018
When locals refused to rent to the Holy Spirit Sisters for a support center for people living with HIV/AIDS, the sisters instead set it up on the campus of their high school, St. Raphael's. In the past 15 years, the center, called Vishwas (meaning "trust"), has helped more than 5,000 HIV-positive people lead normal lives, and has effected change in perception about the disease.
This story appears in the Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions feature series. View the full series.
Catholic News Service
November 29, 2018
Sr. Annie Demerjian has seen a lifetime of suffering in Aleppo, Syria, over the past seven years. Now, as conflict is beginning to die down, the current challenge is to help people begin to rebuild their lives.
This story appears in the Notes from the Field feature series. View the full series.
by Sarabella Muise
Contributor
November 28, 2018
Notes from the Field - Those of us who grew up in a religious environment can attest to hearing "Live simply so that others can simply live" rather often. One of the goals of being a Good Shepherd Volunteer is to implement this idea, focusing on the tenant of simplicity in our own lives while serving alongside communities that don't necessarily have a choice in living this value.
by Karen Jean Zielinski
Contributor
November 28, 2018
Crying is something that only humans can do. When we see a beautiful work of art, attend a sacred service or a lovely concert, we may cry tears of beauty. These emotional tears seem to be tapping into our deeper, spiritual selves.
This story appears in the Abuse of sisters feature series. View the full series.
November 28, 2018
Three women, survivors of clergy sexual abuse, shared their harrowing accounts during a Nov. 27 testimony-sharing and panel discussion in Rome, meant to raise up women's voices in the global discussion about abuse and cover-up.
by Catholic News Service
November 28, 2018
Apparent good Samaritans turned out to be nothing of the sort after allegedly stealing Christmas presents from two Little Sisters of the Poor outside the Costco in Columbia near Baltimore Nov. 26.