GSR Today - Could a little indie movie about a young woman’s life-changing journey before she becomes a nun win an Academy Award this year? It came one step closer on Thursday. Read on.

I will admit to a smile whenever I see that one of my Horizons columns has been posted online, although the reason for my smile may not be the one you expect. I smile because of the tagline for the column on the Global Sisters Report website: “Young sisters speak.” Only in religious life would a 42-year-old woman be counted among the “young.”

Unlike in mainland China, in Hong Kong Christian churches operate freely – and many Christian leaders were outspoken participants in the so-called Umbrella Movement this fall. Yet, access to religious materials in Hong Kong, let alone mainland China, aren’t what they could be. And that’s where Maryknoll Sr. Anastasia Lindawati comes in. Based in Hong Kong, Lindawati (who is ethnically Chinese, although she was born in Indonesia) has become a “cyber teacher” of sorts.

There are many kinds of pioneers, and the Sisters of St. Ann demonstrate this superb diversity. Since their founding in Quebec, Canada, by Blessed Marie Anne Blondin in 1850, their original spirit continues vigorously today. Four sisters and a lay woman made the two-month ocean voyage down the Atlantic coast, became some of the first women to cross Panama by train before the canal, then sailed north along the Pacific coast, where the bishop of Portland wanted them to serve in his diocese.

“Prayer. The world’s greatest wireless connection.” Those words on a sweatshirt greeted me as I opened a gift from my sister. I immediately thought this conveys one aspect of how we understand exercising contemplative power. Think about it. When we are on the Internet, we have instant access to almost anyone on this planet. Through an intricate web of electromagnetic waves, we can start a revolution – be part of a flash mob – generate interest so that an idea or an action ‘goes viral.’ Without seeing the waves radiating outward, we know we are connected.

"We must be clear and unequivocal in challenging our communities to live fully the tenets of peace and coexistence found in each religion, and to denounce acts of violence when they are committed."

Three Stats and a Map - January is a big PR month for those people and agencies combatting human trafficking. For one, Sunday was Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and in the U.S. the entire month is designated for slavery and human trafficking prevention. In the last few years, numerous campaigns against modern-day slavery have been started, and as Megan Sweas reports, sisters are often at the forefront of these efforts.

GSR Today - “What a steep learning curve!” we often hear people say as they find themselves in a new job, ministry or unfamiliar situation. It’s challenging to discover what is happening, understand a different culture or perspective, consider how to approach situations and chart new ways forward. That’s where we are when it comes to human trafficking: on a steep learning curve.

Dominican Sr. Donna Markham has been chosen to succeed Fr. Larry Snyder as the new president of Catholic Charities USA. The announcement was made Jan. 12 at Catholic Charities headquarters in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Markham becomes the first woman to lead Catholic Charities, which was founded in 1910. She will officially take over from Snyder June 1.

From A Nun's Life podcasts - What is "spiritual" itinerancy and how is it part of life for Dominican Sisters of Peace? In this Random Nun Clip, we talk with the sisters about spiritual itinerancy and community life as Dominican Sisters of Peace.