It's that time of year again: the beginning, the time for taking stock and making resolutions. What great things has God done in me and what would God like to do for and in me this coming year? 

An order of nuns has withdrawn from an especially violent city after the parents and sister of one of the women religious were kidnapped and killed.

The Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, where two priests were murdered Feb. 5, said in a statement that the nuns from the Comunidad Guadalupana (Guadalupe Community) had withdrawn because of a lack of security, leaving a school it operated in the city of Chilapa without staff.

Schools in Chilapa had suspended classes from September to December because of the insecurity, the statement said.

U.S. sisters at the U.N. spoke with GSR about their challenges as Americans serving on a global stage during the Trump administration. Sisters sympathize with Americans who are soul searching during this time of deep division. Some suggest that such questions of identity may benefit the U.S. in the long term.

Hue City, Vietnam - During the Tet or Lunar New Year, revelers consume a bewildering variety of food. Amid the frenzy of activity, food contamination can be a serious threat. The Daughters of Mary Immaculate have chosen the time leading up to the holiday to educate people, especially those who are ill or with limited resources, to avoid the risks of food poisoning.

Catholic leaders have decried the Senate's rejection of compromise legislation to protect young immigrants brought to the United States as children, and the role that the Trump administration played in discouraging consensus.

"The empty spaces remind us of the lessons many of us spend our lives learning — no one is perfect; you don't need to be perfect to be loved; there's grace in empty spaces; God fills us when nothing else can or will."

In Conversation - Global Sisters Report columnist Sr. Nancy Sylvester explains contemplation and leads listeners through the setup for a regular meditative practice.

See for Yourself - On an investigative crime program I was watching recently, one of the detectives said, "The creep is lying through his teeth. It's so obvious. I have no doubts about his guilt."

When we take a loving look at our lives, what might benefit us more: filling the hole in our life, or being in the hole with God?

"Who today is lying by the side of the road in need of our help? Who has been forgotten or marginalized or denigrated or despised? Who are those people we are called as a ministry of the church to care for?"