The Irish government has approved a forensic excavation of the site of a former state-funded, Catholic-run mother and baby home in the west of the country. Katherine Zappone, minister for children and youth affairs, announced the excavation Oct. 23.

Judy Bisignano is an Adrian Dominican Sister. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, she has spent her adult life directing private and charter public schools in Tucson, Arizona. With graduate degrees in biology, ecology and educational leadership/curriculum development, she wrote aerospace curricula for 10 years for NASA, and the Young Astronaut Council of the U.S. She has authored and co-authored 35 activity books for children in the areas of values education, environmental education, aerospace and astronomy.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco heard oral arguments Oct. 19 in a lawsuit that aims to overturn a 2017 federal regulation expanding the exemption to the federal contraceptive mandate to include the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious employers.

Even before she could go to school, Sr. Carole Eschen wanted to be a teacher. At age 17, she joined the Sisters of Loretto and taught math and science at three schools, landing at Kansas City Academy in 1985.  The school is known for its inclusive environment that attracts a large LGBTQ population.