The Life - This month, the panelists reflect on how laypeople are true partners in their ministry, advancing the mission of their congregations and teaching them useful lessons in life. For example: "Response to the needs of the times, calls of the church and our own charism has led us into different forms of association with laypeople."

Police in India's Kerala state are investigating the actions of a Catholic priest and five women religious after a complaint by a nun who was dismissed from her congregation Aug. 5 accused the six of defaming and harassing her through social media.

Sr. Jean Dolores Schmidt starts and ends every day the same way. With joy and gratitude. It’s a practice that has been serving Chicago’s beloved Catholic sister, better known simply as "Sister Jean," for a century now.

Horizons - We live in a complex web of justice issues, laws and cultural influences, all of which are interconnected with institutions and structures. A change in one or two laws will not change the culture of death.

It is imperative that sisters visit the homes of those in their neighborhoods, a seminar on evangelization through pastoral service told women religious Aug. 13-15 at the diocesan formation and pastoral center in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. At the seminar Holy Cross Br. Subal Rozario said, "People of different faiths come to receive water. This is how we build a union among different faiths. Through education and health care, Catholics win the hearts of others, but among others, home visits are most important."

The sisters I live with in Washington, D.C., are afraid for me to walk alone. I don't fear that; amid news of mass shootings, I fear walking through crowds.

The Sisters of Notre Dame, along with other congregations in Tanzania, play key roles in the fight against child trafficking. They provide assistance to victims. They raise awareness by traveling to rural communities to educate village elders, women's groups and youth groups about trafficking experiences and dangers.

In topographically challenged New Orleans, where "running water" can be a pejorative depending on whether it is flowing inside or outside the house, a long-promised, 25-acre stormwater management and flood control project called the Mirabeau Water Garden will be a welcome sight.

Sr. Helen Prejean talked to Religion News Service about how she became involved in social justice, why she thinks the death penalty is on its way out and how she got to "bump into two popes along the way."