What an opportunity Pope Francis has given us in the Year of Mercy! It feels like something beautiful is dawning. It is a chance to rediscover and put forth the best of who we are. A few weeks ago, I went to an Advent production at a local church. It is a fairly new and up-and-coming "mega church" that presents itself as "relationship, not religion." The huge sanctuary filled up with people, including many young families, for the show. Outside the sanctuary, the building buzzed with activity. There was a coffee bar, couches, meeting rooms, and activities happening for people of all ages. Strangely, I found myself sad as I observed it all. Not sad because something good is happening there.

The face of theological studies in the U.S. used to be male, white and clerical, until Holy Cross Sr. Mary Madeleva Wolff established the first graduate theology school for women at Saint Mary's College while she was president there. The new School of Sacred Theology opened its first class on June 19, 1943.

GSR Today - In the rapidly changing nature of journalism in the Internet era, once-dominant reporters and commentators are quickly forgotten. That, of course, is the risk journalists take on careers based on the immediacy of events and trends and issues that seem important at the time but are quickly scattered to the winds of the ephemeral.

"Winter brings us full circle to discover what is central in our lives."

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year to slow down and reflect on the great mystery of God among us. This year I was reflecting how God shows up unexpectedly in people we might otherwise pass by.

See for Yourself - A new year affords the opportunity to look forward to all the new things one can imagine doing, changing, or becoming. The new year also provides the chance to look back on life.

An attack on religious sisters at a teacher training college in South Sudan has shaken and saddened the church, a church leader said, while urging people of faith to demand the implementation of the latest peace accord to end the civil war.

Notes from the Field - Translating 150 slides can get monotonous, but in the end, it is necessary for farmworkers to get educated about regulations and handling harassment.

"God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world."

Partners in Benedictine Education, St. Scholastica Monastery's scholarship program, isn't just benefiting 34 girls at Colegio San Benito in Esquipulas, Guatemala. It is also supporting teacher education.

Two administrators from the Benedictine school visited Fort Smith in December to learn more about the American education system, both public and private, and get ideas on how to improve their own programs.