"The political arena today is a tragic and unfortunate demonstration of the culture of violence and domination that we are so hard-working to overcome, so we have plenty of fodder for why we need to promote this alternative and become better at it ourselves."

"Empowered women participate, they influence, they bring about change, not only in themselves but in society as a whole."

Notes from the Field - The school-to-prison pipeline has become a hot-button issue in recent years and has attracted a lot of attention, specifically on boys in the U.S. But recently, I've learned of a similar, less-known juvenile justice structure that has been failing our girls.

"The river is the source of our water, food, medicine and spirituality. The river calls us."

I have to admit I am dismayed by what has been happening on the campaign trail. Primarily spurred by Mr. Trump, I witness the anger of my brothers and sisters who, over these past decades, feel that they have been left behind. But contemplation invites me to see how we are all connected. Equality, mutuality, abundance, non-violence and interconnectedness are the messages of Jesus.

Mother Angelica, who founded the Eternal Word Television Network and turned it into one of the world's largest religious media operations, died March 27 at age 92.

Feisty and outspoken, she was a major controversial figure in the U.S. church in the closing decades of the 20th century. At the same time, the international scope of EWTN's media operations gave her a ready calling card at the Vatican.

GSR Today - The terror attacks last week in Brussels had many people asking: Why Belgium? The answer given over and over is that unlike many countries in Europe, Belgium has large neighborhoods of disaffected youth who are ripe for radical Islamic recruitment.

Everyone knows how to stop the epidemic of teen pregnancies in Tanzania, where one out of every four babies is born to a woman under the age of 18. It is one thing that politicians, teachers, sisters, priests, imams, police officers and activists all agree on. And its success has been proven by plummeting teen pregnancy rates everywhere it has been implemented.

Sr. Lucy Kurien was the only Catholic among 20 women that the Indian government honored with the Nari Shakti Puraska, a women's empowerment award, on March 8, International Women's Day, for outstanding contribution to society. The member of the Holy Cross of Chavanod is the founder of Maher ("My mother's home" in the Marathi language), a string of homes for people who live in poverty in various parts of India. Kurien says she believes serving others irrespective of caste or religion is the best way to show God's love for humans through Christ.

With all of the rhetoric regarding immigrants in our political debates, images of welcoming the gifts of strangers has been playing in my psychic cinema. Real people, coming from other countries, have made a difference to me and my congregation. The marquee of my psychic cinema reads: "Resilience and Reconciliation Brings Renewed Energy."