"We constantly pray to God to make order of our chaotic lives, but what if God is the very source of our chaos? What if chaos and disorder are not to be shunned and avoided but attended to and embraced?"

Sr. Valsa John Malamel, a member of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary who lived far from her original home and her congregation among the indigenous people in eastern India, was killed five years ago. She was the sole educator in the remote village and a well-known advocate for the people against encroaching coal mining interests.

Sr. Virginia Longcope, a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has run a family-style residential home for men recovering from addictions and incarceration for 23 years.

The From Service to Sisterhood initiative, a partnership between the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Catholic Volunteer Network, aims to sustain congregations by establishing volunteer programs that emphasize discernment. The initiative was the subject of a pre-conference session at the National Conference on Faith-Based Service.

Notes from the Field - Picture yourself alone in a completely silent room. No sounds, not even the distant hum of the refrigerator. At first, it might be nice. Depending on your temperament, it might be really nice. But there's a chance that after a while, it's going to get uncomfortable. Eerie, even.

"It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."

Poor Handmaid of Jesus Christ Sr. Kate Kuenstler serves as an independent canon lawyer and has worked with Catholics from 30 dioceses across the United States as well as communities in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

The discoveries of science today do not cease to astound. For centuries we thought of ourselves as solid, fixed human beings in a stable, fixed universe. Now we must rethink ourselves as disco dancers in a bubble gum universe. Quantum physics has undermined all the great discoveries of matter, from Aristotle to Newton, and we are now left with the wondrous reality of wave-particle duality. Now we must face the startling discovery that quantum physics may govern the realms of biological life as well.

"With a burst of brilliant color, leaves remind us that the end is only a beginning!"

"Each of us has a sphere of influence, which we can use in negative or positive ways. The path to healing our fractured civil discourse requires folks who are willing to reach out across the divides, find common ground, and listen to the pain that is behind so much of the fear and hatred that has come to light."