by Marya Grathwohl

Contributor

View Author Profile

It is 6:30 a.m., January 21, and I am standing in the dark beside a Swiss Guard, a heavy grey cape covering his colorful uniform. "There," I say, pointing to my name on his list. I show him my passport. Following his directions, we walk over black shiny cobblestones around a towering side wall of St. Peter's looking for the entrance to the chapel where Pope Francis offers his daily, private Mass.

by Kathryn James Hermes

Contributor

View Author Profile

As I entered into my Lenten journey, I found myself hoping for a personal crisis. I smile. I'm 52 years old and, like every religious, have weathered many a crisis in my religious life: the garden variety of troubles typical of the formative years, more disruptive crises of serious health issues a year after profession, followed by two decades of emotional upheaval and depression as a result. Then this past year was marked by a painful self-questioning about where I was going with my life.

GSR Today - During Lent, many of us turn inward — reflecting on our own mortality and sinfulness — but it can also be an opportunity for us to look outward and lament with the "least of these." What are you reflecting on this Lenten season?

by Melanie Lidman

View Author Profile

Sisters in Accra, Ghana, run an empowerment program for young girls working as porters in one busy city market. Sr. Angelina Gerharz, 72, a Holy Spirit Sister who is originally from Germany but has been in Ghana for 48 years, founded the Porter Girls Project in 2010.

Kerry DiNardo is a Notre Dame Mission Volunteer AmeriCorps member in her second year of service at Cristo Rey Boston High School, where she works in the Student Life Office. There, she plans retreats and events, directs the extracurricular program, and coaches basketball and softball. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kerry graduated from St. Joseph's University with a degree in business intelligence in May 2014.