The maternal waiting area for expectant mothers at the Medical Mission Sisters' hospital in Attat has virtually wiped out obstetric fistula in the local area, but it's also taken a stable team of dedicated health professionals to make progress over 50 years of service. Clean water projects and health education have reduced other medical problems, too.

See for Yourself - It's 6:12 a.m. and trickling rain makes Gilbert Avenue in urban Cincinnati glisten in the streetlights. I park in my usual on-street parking spot and gingerly make my way across the street to the building entrance. A portico provides shelter from the rain.

Nuns on the Bus Blog: My journey to Wisconsin began in North Carolina where I left behind security of home and the familiarity of friends. I was somewhat apprehensive of what I might encounter, but a tinge of excitement bubbled within as I anticipated joining the Nuns on the Bus.

Nuns on the Bus Blog - "We the people." These words from the preamble to our U.S. Constitution were in my head and heart upon waking this morning in a simple convent room at the motherhouse of the Springfield Dominicans.

"Ah Lord God! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for you, who shows lovingkindness to thousands."

Nuns on the Bus Blog - It's begun! How do we mend the gaps and reweave the fabric of our society? That is the question at the center of this summer's Nuns on the Bus tour which will cover more than 2,400 miles to meet with individuals, families and communities in 13 states, 23 cities, and be present at both major political party conventions.

Colonization has not ended, said speakers at the July 7-10 Sisters of Earth convention: Governments and industries are still taking land from indigenous people, largely destroying ecosystems for profit.

Big corporations do not intimidate Sr. Patricia Daly. The Caldwell Dominican's job is to work with them, educate them, and help them be more socially and environmentally responsible, not to embarrass or cajole them.

Having just completed my 59th year of ministry in religious life, I am in awe of the knowledge gained along the way. I've spent these years largely in service to youth and young adults, so it is from them that I have learned about their lives and also mine; about God's working in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.