The Life - "True formation happens when I am fully present to my daily reality. Then the word of God pierces my heart in the most unexpected ways, through the hands of his people." In the debut installment of the second year of GSR's feature The Life, our new panelists share what they've learned from work and life as a sister.
GSR Today - Welcome to the second year of our monthly series called The Life. A panel of 25 sisters will share their reflections on the unique, challenging lives of Catholic women religious. Meet our new panelists for the 2018-19 edition of The Life.
"If I am truly a person of encounter — open to the presence of Christ in the heart of the person in front of me, regardless of differences in opinion, political leanings, race, nationality, gender identity, and other categories — I cannot help but be changed by the experience."
Sr. Dorothy Pagosa is the social justice coordinator for the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. She has been in social justice/systemic change work for 33 years, most of that time also working at the 8th Day Center for Justice in Chicago.
Horizons - In recent months, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on and praying with the call to be experts in communion — to be people who seek encounter and encourage dialogue. As I've reflected on this call, what keeps coming to me is the necessity of metanoia.
See for Yourself - A friend was telling me about her role in the service organization to which she belongs. The club has an active presence in the community and provides support for a variety of activities, including student scholarships.
"It is part of my work to be in dangerous areas. I am happy to be here. I have a calling and a mission to be here. We believe the Gospel should be taught in everyday life no matter the circumstances."
McAllen, Texas - More than 2,300 immigrant children have been separated from their parents after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero-tolerance policy for border crossers. Though family separation practices have been cancelled through executive order, suffering has not.
A plea agreement spared Rodney Earl Sanders from the death penalty, which was opposed by both sisters' congregations and their families. Sr. Paula Merrill of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and Sr. Margaret Held of the School Sisters of St. Francis were nurse practitioners ministering to the poor in rural Mississippi when they were stabbed to death in 2016.
A girls' boarding school in northern Uganda is providing real-life lessons in adjustments for both South Sudanese refugees and native Ugandan students.