GSR Today - As Pope Francis' trip to Myanmar at the end of November gets closer, the plight of the Rohingya people there receives more and more scrutiny. It is not at all easy to see.

Good Shepherd is one of many religious congregations that supports a volunteer program, and I was with a diverse group of young adults participating in an orientation process for a year with the Good Shepherd Volunteers. I was a general support presence with limited responsibilities, so my days offered opportunity to reflect on what was happening around me. Why are these young people, only recently liberated from a four-year college structure, entering another program rather than pursuing their independent pathways?

"Today the peoples in hunger are making a dramatic appeal to the peoples blessed with abundance."

See for Yourself - Ever get a craving for popcorn? It's fast and easy in a microwave, but making on the stove in a kettle is better by far, and you can add what you wish to flavor it.

Prayer is getting a bit of a bum rap these days, at least when it is tagged on to the end of the platitude most often employed in the face of senseless disaster and heart wrenching tragedy — "thoughts and prayers."

This month, and probably for every October for the rest of her life, Haitian Sr. Evelyn Moliney will remember a time she would rather forget. A year ago, Hurricane Matthew bore down on southwestern Haiti, threatening a large swath of coastal area, including the city and surrounding areas of Jérémie, the capital city of the department, or province, of Grand'Anse. 

"Every creature and creation glorifies God by being most fully itself."

A mother of two and grandmother of four, St. Joseph Sr. Suzanne Herder had a winding journey in religious life before she recently was elected to the St. Paul Province of St. Joseph of Carondelet's leadership team. 

Wielding their power as shareholders to challenge corporations, women religious are teaming up with each other and with other faith groups to ensure companies are water-conscious in their corporate practices. "If one person is speaking to a company, that's one thing. ... When you come to the company, and you have 15 shareholders who are concerned about the issue, it makes a difference.

"The church hasn't disappeared. It is still there, walking alongside people. Doing that work continues, and it has never stopped."