David Reiersgord is a freelance writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. He has contributed to the Daily Maverick, Business Day, Huffington Post, and Africa In Words. He received his master's degree in South African fiction from Stellenbosch University and works with international students.

This story appears in the Advent feature series. View the full series.

During Advent 2015, I was midway through chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian cancer and shared the journey in a Global Sisters Report series called "Inter-Mission." The liturgical season helped me move from fear to hope. It's Advent again

by Joachim Pham

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Sr. Mary Nguyen Thi Mai is the superior of the Society of Missionaries of Charity, The society includes nearly 670 members, has 42 communities and 12 centers throughout Vietnam which serve orphans, people with physical disabilities and elderly people without relatives. Mai spoke to GSR about the newly established society overcoming challenges and sustaining itself in a developing country.

GSR Today - Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) and seven other immigrant-rights organizations filed a complaint Dec. 7 with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Office of Inspector General.

The Souljourners program, a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters at Mount St. Scholastica, is a three-year program for spiritual directors. Ecumenism is key to the program. The experts who instruct students come from all Christian faith backgrounds. The sisters describe the form of direction they teach as "contemplative-evocative."