Dominican Sr. Attracta Kelly in Adrian, Mich., has been able to speak a few times with the superior of a group of Iraqi Dominicans and knows how desperate their situation is since they escaped Islamicists in northern Iraq. Sr. Maria Hanna, the superior, and 51 other Dominican sisters, along with their family members and other villagers were driven from the Ninevah Plain by Islamic State fighters.
Read more: GSR received a letter from the Dominicans in Iraq via the Adrian Dominicans; a first-hand account of the current situation is posted here.

See for Yourself - The Civil War happened 150 years ago. There was incredible devastation between the north and the south that fills shelves of history books – but it doesn’t fill our daily consciousness. Can we see God, who is beyond our sight?

"Think of how dangerous a temptation it is to adopt a purely functional, worldly mentality which leads to placing our hope in human means alone and destroys the witness of poverty which our Lord Jesus Christ lived and taught us."

In addressing the religious of Korea August 16, Pope Francis stressed the need to live joy-filled lives. “Only if our witness is joyful will we attract men and women to Christ,” he said. “And this joy is a gift, which is nourished by a life of prayer, meditation on the word of God, the celebration of the sacraments and life in community. When these are lacking, weaknesses and difficulties will emerge to dampen the joy we knew so well at the beginning of our journey.”

Leaders of the largest organization representing women religious in the United States issued a statement Monday that they will continue the dialogue with church officials demanding reform, but they will also protect the integrity of their group.