I live at the corner of the United States and Mexico, just at the point where the Rio Grande makes a sharp turn to the southeast and becomes the border between our two countries. To my disappointment, the riverbed is empty again after an oh-so-brief summer season of irrigation. We enjoyed water in the great river from late May until early August. The drought of the past six years has severely lowered the water levels in the reservoirs along the Rio Grande, causing the authorities to cut back the allocations to farmers and municipalities, hence the dry riverbed that will soon become littered with tumbleweeds and trash.

Catholic physicians today find themselves contradicting "much that has made its way into the medical profession and yet is destroying the profession of medicine," said a Dominican sister who is a physician. Dominican Sr. Mary Diana Dreger, who is board certified in internal medicine, made the comments in an address to the 600 participants attending the 83rd annual Catholic Medical Association education conference in Orlando. She spoke Sept. 27 about "The Catholic Physician: A Sign of (Non) Contradiction."

Sister of Mercy Marlene Perrotte is all too familiar with violence causing thousands of Central Americans to flee their countries: in the ‘80s when guerilla groups like the Sendero Luminoso were terrorizing Peru, she was there serving as a Maryknoll associate. She’s also worked with the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, providing legal services to unaccompanied minors on the Mexico-U.S. border. Today, she’s working with the American Immigration Lawyers Association to provide legal aid for the hundreds of Central American women and children being detained in Artesia, N.M.

From A Nun's Life podcasts - In this audio clip, we respond to a listener who asks, "If I try to live God’s will, is that enough to please God? Or does it not count unless I do it with joy?"

Every single person is Gift, and the fullness of being so is in living all of our life without annulling any part of what has made us who we are. This means acknowledging all the facets of our life and all that will continue the unfolding of our true selves. It is our ongoing story, which is our history, culture, background, personality, and experiences. The sense of self is never without a context. While recognizing that there is much more on this topic, I wish to highlight just two keys of awareness that I have found essential for my continuing journey as a person and minister in a globalized world, as well as a religious in an intercultural and international community.

Congregation of Notre Dame Sr. Susan Kidd doesn’t believe in debate. As the sole campus minister at the secular University of Prince Edward Island, Kidd interacts daily with young adults with a wide variety of beliefs and values, and while she may not always agree with them, the key, she says, is to never start a debate.

Oct. 5, some 250 people (mostly bishops, and only one woman religious) met to begin the third-ever extraordinary synod of bishops. Convened by Pope Francis, the group is spending two weeks exploring the way Catholics around the world view sexuality, marriage and family and what, to borrow the bishops’ language, is causing the “breakdown” of the family. What does it mean that church teachings don't always match up with practice in the 21st century?
Related - Sister only shows love and acceptance

"Promoting the dignity of the worker is not often mentioned, yet is a critical way to care for one another. As voters, we the people must consider all of our Christian values when voting!"

Nuns on the Bus Blog - The sisters of Kentucky spend the day in Lexington, talking to workers, rallying voters and drawing media attention. The deadline to register to vote for the Nov. 4 midterm Congressional election is fast approaching in most states. Nuns on the Bus online has a handy "TurboVote" tool that can get you connected to your local election board.