Sr. Violet Rodrigues teaches English at Holy Cross College in Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of several roles she has held as an educator, including serving as a teacher and headmistress in a village school in northeast Bangladesh. She grew up in the village of Noakhali, near Chittagong, Bangladesh's "second city." The former area coordinator for the Sisters of the Holy Cross has ties to the United States, having spent part of 2015 at the order's motherhouse at St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana.

"God is calling; he has never ceased to call. Young people are having difficulty hearing that call today because of the state of our culture — the noise that we surround ourselves with, the lack of prayer and the crisis of faith that sometimes is the case."

For 16 years, Loreto Sr. Ephigenia Gachiri has traveled across Kenya desperately trying to halt female genital mutilation. Though millions of women are still at risk for the ceremonial cutting, there are success stories. Mary Nasibo is one.
Related story - In rural Kenya, a path to adulthood without female genital mutilation

I am a Scrabble player — maybe even addicted to it! Playing Scrabble helps me cope with life. My usual partner is a musician who is also a mystic: this makes for a heady combination. It's a time when we don't have to be "nice" to each other: we can be competitors and just enjoy the game.

Notes from the Field - The novelty of our service has worn off, and the work involved to make lasting changes in the greater community we are living in has been overwhelming and frustrating. Put simply, we are experiencing burnout.

Three Stats and a Map - When it comes to countries' demographics, Geographical space does not correlate to population, income or power. Metrocosm has a great tool that uses data to show "big" based on a number of factors besides land mass.

From Eco Catholic on NCR - The pastoral letter, titled The Telling Takes Us Home, seeks to give this often-overlooked region a public voice with a universal echo.

"Everything is mercy; nothing is devoid of compassion."

"For Love Alone" is a newa documentary about Catholic sisters commissioned by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, released in August as part of CMSWR's larger celebration of the Year of Consecrated Life. Clare Matthiass, a Franciscan Sister of the Renewal and CMSWR board member, was featured in the film and was one member of the committee of women religious who helped Grassroots Films shape the film's narrative arc.