Presence is not necessarily a word that comes immediately to mind when we think of social networks or the Internet. If we’re honest, the first is probably “distraction.” The second, in my case at least, would be “procrastination.” To be sure, social media serves these functions in our busy lives. If we view the technology through the perspective of human relationship and community, however, it seems that there might be a higher function as well.

GSR Today - The 25-year-old Italian singing nun who has wowed audiences around the world with her soaring renditions of pop tunes won Italy’s version of “The Voice” on Thursday. Sr. Cristina Scuccia’s performances on the show since March have been watched by millions of people on YouTube.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me."

Catholic leaders have raised concerns that Latin American migrants are increasingly in danger of human rights violations, particularly the ballooning number of minors trying to make the trip from Central America to the United States alone.

Sr. Judy Zielinski, a Sister of Saint Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, is the director of faith and values programing at NewGroup Media, a communications company in South Bend, Ind. Before joining to the company in 2012, she served as the communications director for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men in Washington, D.C., and spent 10 years in Los Angeles working for Family Theater Productions.

Living the Gospel - Sr. Berta Sailer and Sr. Corita Bussanmas have helped three generations of children in the urban core of Kansas City, Mo., from providing day care and education to lobbying to change state legislation. With Operation Breakthrough, their care extends to the children's families, and they have gone even further, adopting children into their own. Sailer works to change attitudes, too, saying poverty exists because we allow it.

GSR Today - The collection of 10 addresses from LCWR presidents, 1977 to 2013, in Spiritual Leadership for Challenging Times are enlightening and instructive snapshots of how religious life has moved through major transitions set in motion by the Second Vatican Council's call to engage the world in light of the Gospel and adapt to the times.

In my, inaugural column Jan. 23, I invited readers to share their own experiences of Spirit. Since Pentecost is Sunday, it seems a great time to share some of your heartfelt responses. There isn't room to print them all, but this sampling should satisfy the curiosity of anyone who's wondering if the Spirit is still alive and well in our world!

"Jesus said that those Christians who were led by the Spirit were like the wind — you don’t know where it comes from and you don’t know where it’s going."