Daughters of Charity Sr. Abeba Hadgu, 50, looks on with pride at the food-preparation class. Since 1992, more than 2,000 young women have graduated from the congregation's six-month women's empowerment program in food preparation or sewing. Even the current teacher, Bedla Solomon, is a successful product of the empowerment course. She graduated from the food-preparation program six years ago, gained experience working for the Filippini Sisters in the nearby town of Adigrat, and returned to teach this class.

Catholic sisters could be of greater service to the church in various parts of the world were they able to "go a step further" and be ordained as deacons, says Sr. Carmen Sammut, president of the International Union of Superiors General, the global network of some 500,000 Catholic women religious.

The Marlin mine began operations in 2005 in the regions of San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipacapa, Guatemala, bringing jobs and prosperity to some residents, but changing the landscape and the social fabric of the indigenous community. It is slated to cease operations, renewing issues about true costs of its operation.

A health facility built in 2012 and funded by Goldcorp stands not far from downtown San Miguel Ixtahuacán. It's an impressive sprawling white complex with a large parking lot, but it does not have the capacity to provide much service.

Sr. Maudilia López describes her journey to join the church as a "personal project" she began at age 9. Lopez was 12 when a priest stopped by Comitancillo to recruit young women to become nuns. She and 14 other girls began attending his Bible class. At 15, Lopez decided to become a sister. She took her vows in August 2003 with the order of Hermanas Guadalupanas de la Salle.

An inter-congregational Irish group of sisters has created a mining activism toolkit, informed by their work with communities in rural Australia where coal seam gas mining is polluting the air, water and ground, and where landowners like farmers and ranchers have few to no rights over the actions by extractive corporations.

The family of Jaime Perez Lopez, 24, remembers him as a family-oriented young man with many friends. He enjoyed his work in the Marlin mine and returning home to his parents when he got off to help around the house.

"To be open to a genuine encounter with others, 'a kind look' is essential. . . . A kind look helps us to see beyond our own limitations, to be patient and to cooperate with others, despite our differences."

Getting corporations to talk about climate change, human trafficking and social justice is what many women religious have been doing for decades. They also target their own investments into socially responsible projects that align with their missions.