By focusing on the large cohort of sisters in their 70s and 80s, are we not forgetting the dynamic energy of those sisters in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s? As we look to the emerging future, are these not the sisters, especially those ages 20 through 55, who will develop this future over the next 20 years? If these sisters are relegated to the future, how can they create that future?
GSR Today - An exciting part of my work with GSR is the surprises that pop up now and again. For example, recently I met Sister Rosewitha, a Franciscan Sister from Germany, who told me that her congregation had started out in 1241 as a Beguine community in a small town of Dillingen, situated on the Danube River. Having just read Laura Swan’s book The Wisdom of the Beguines I was thrilled.
A federal judge ordered the release of children and their parents from immigration detention centers "without unnecessary delay" and gave immigration officials two months to comply, according to court documents filed late Friday, Aug. 21.
"The love and care of tending makes all the difference."
GSR Today - It’s hard to imagine bees bringing people together, but that’s what’s happening in the Casamance region of Senegal, thanks to a Catholic Relief Services project. The area had been wracked by violence, killing up to 6,000 civilians and displacing 60,000 more.
I am delighted about Pope Francis’ first papal encyclical, “Laudato Sí, on Care for Our Common Home,” our mother Earth. What kind of Earth will we leave behind? I feel this as a very strong invitation from Pope Francis to go beyond our immediate needs, our comfort at the expense of generations yet unborn, and consider the future of our human race and planet.
Truth and its elusiveness are the dominant themes of the play, “Sense of an Ending,” by Ken Urban, playing now through Sept. 6 at 59E59 Theaters in New York City. The plot explores the Roman Catholic church’s involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, including the involvement of two Benedictine sisters, who were ultimately convicted of war crimes against the Tutsis. Urban, who was raised Catholic, said, “It feels like the right time to tell this story. It's not about race in America, but it's a story of race in the world.”
GSR Today - Last Thursday I returned to San Rafael, spending time with the Lourdes community, older sisters who spend most of their time on the Dominican sisters’ grounds. I also spoke before the community and a gathering of some of their friends, offering an assessment of religious life today.
Linda Buck is a Sister of St. Joseph of Orange and, as a psychotherapist and spiritual director, her ministry focuses on the integration of psychology and spirituality, providing services, consultation and training in both of these areas. She is passionate about issues surrounding systemic injustice as well as mental health advocacy.
The first call came after five days. Pope Francis called the newsstand where he would buy his daily paper in Buenos Aires to cancel his subscription. It seemed he was going to be away longer than expected. I remember reading that first news report in March 2013; it was almost as surreal as the turn of events that had taken place over the preceding weeks. For the first time in 600 years, a pope resigned and for the first time ever, a Jesuit was elected to the papacy. Now it is history, tempered by time, but still no less remarkable.