Sr. Mercy Shumbamhini is president of the Conference of Major Religious Superiors of Zimbabwe, superior general of the Mary Ward Congregation of Jesus in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, and one of Zimbabwe’s most respected child counselors.

Letters from South Sudan - With other conflicts making the news across the globe, not much is visible in the headlines from South Sudan, though unrest continues to create dire needs for the vulnerable there. In the last two days several news reports have surfaced about fears of famine for the people of South Sudan.

"An orange sunset follows me like I am closely guarded for some unknown danger . . . ."

From A Nun's Life podcasts - Hospitality and food insecurity – what's the relationship and what insights can scripture offer us today? In this audio clip with Sr. Marion Moeser, we talk about hospitality and food insecurity in scripture and how the wisdom of the ancients can guide our actions today.

It’s a dark, pre-dawn morning, cool and inviting. The silence is filled with spring energy; resolute, expectant. Sister Moon is alone on the cosmic stage watching, waiting, her gravitational pull affecting tides and psyches. Orion stands tall, witness to the transition of power soon to appear. I feel energy, expectant hope, a centered moment in my troubled psyche

With six weeks of steady reporting about the influx of Central American children and families crossing the U.S. border and no quick solutions being presented for what will happen to them, many people are asking their churches and dioceses what they can do to help. In a July 10 panel discussion during the National Migration Conference in Washington, some of the possible ways volunteers, financial donations and other types of resources might be put to use were outlined by representatives of various Catholic organizations.

A Latin America expert for Catholic Relief Services, the head of the bishops' migration committee and the president of a Catholic college in Michigan were among those urging the government toward humanitarian responses to a surge of children and families crossing the U.S. border from Central America. Among their recommendations were: fully funding a requested federal appropriation for services to deal with the influx of people

GSR Today - When we're frustrated with our politically biased media sources, we might miss that reporters here in the U.S. are able to share the news as they see it without risking their lives in the way many others around the world do. According to the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2014 seven journalists have been murdered worldwide. Eighty-six percent were political reporters.

Across the United States, Catholics have stepped in to help the unprecedented numbers of children without parents flooding the border, despite protests, threats, and government reluctance to give access to detained children. Immigration officials have detained nearly 60,000 children without their parents at the southern border since October, more than double the number picked up the year before. Naturally, Catholic sisters are among those offering humanitarian and spiritual assistance.