About 160 women religious convened for the 2017 national assembly of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, which represents 12 percent of U.S. sisters. Formed in 1992 with a commitment to the preservation of "traditional" religious life, CMSWR has had a busy quarter-century.

It is common for Catholics in parts of Vietnam to marry outside the church and suspend practicing their faith, sometimes for decades, when they live in poverty, far away from a church and can travel only by boat in canals. Others stopped practicing faith because of concerns with priests, nuns or lay Catholics. Some abandoned the Catholic faith to join the Communist Party to gain jobs.

Sr. Thresiamma Mathew is a women's rights activist and an advocate of gender equality. She has helped some 2,500 women from economically poor families to become professional masons when it was unthinkable to employ female masons in her home state of Kerala, southern India.

The call to accompaniment continually requires significant inner work. Letting go of ego, opening ourselves up to the other, and most importantly, doing the spiritual work that offers us the great gift of staying grounded in God's love, mercy, and joy demands a discipline and a commitment to prayer and truthfulness.

"I left my family to be a sister, but I have family in the world. That's why I joined this congregation, to serve the vulnerable people. To be a sister, mother and daughter to all people."

GSR Today - Opus Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian prizes highlight two organizations quietly going about the business of improving lives: Mercy Beyond Borders in South Sudan and Haiti and  the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh.

"The gentle shadow of an eclipsed sun can be a merciful realization that nothing is as it seems."

Notes from the Field - As a volunteer with the Ursulines working with children, I aim for clarity, wisdom and strength. Clarity helps us see challenges for what they are. Wisdom helps us figure out how to go about these difficulties. Strength allows us to act on our wisdom. This may sound a bit dreamy and optimistic, yet these are vital considerations.

Sr. Brittany Harrison, a Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco, is a regular contributor to Relevant Radio's "Morning Air" show, where she discusses youth culture, social media and Salesian spirituality. She spoke with GSR about internet evangelism and how women religious can connect with young people.

Today, as our Society of the Sacred Heart congregation re-shape relationships among provinces, the sisters throughout North and South America are united in one region, named for Philippine Duchesne. This is in spite of the fact that friendship among the members of these provinces suffered through the political tensions of the 20th century.