Following the takeover of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul by Islamic extremists this week, an estimated 500,000 civilians poured out of the city, fleeing bullets and burning wreckage. Yet, in all the chaos, one group remains resolute in its determination to stay in Mosul: the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, a congregation of Iraqi sisters that has witnessed generation upon generation of war and carnage.

We live a world that is widely divergent from the first-century world. It occurred to me to ask myself, “What image describes the core, the essence, the essential elements of the lived reality that is called ‘religious life’ from my own lived experience?” “What image do I carry around in my head, heart and gut?”

GSR Today - Pope Francis praying at the wall in Bethehem was a simple, yet profound gesture, touching deeply something within me, within us all: a desire for justice, freedom and peace. Written on the wall, just minutes before he arrived, was, “Pope we need some 1 go speak about justice.” His trip elicited memories and emotions from my own experience in Israel and Palestine in 2012.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. . . ."

Did you happen to read the Washington Post op-ed on Tuesday that seemed to incite the outrage of every major publication on the Internet? You know, the op-ed that argued that one way to end violence against women is for women to stop sleeping around and get married? The op-ed was originally titled, "One way to end violence against women? Stop taking lovers and get married," with the subhead, "The data show that #yesallwomen would be safer hitched to their baby daddies."

Dr. Doug Lindberg and his wife Dr. Ruth Farreles Lindberg met in medical school at Loyola University Chicago and from there, went on to spend four years in a 50-bed hospital in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, where one of their many remarkable experiences included working with Dr. Sr. Marlene Long, a Franciscan Missionary of Mary and plastic surgeon from Kenya.

Sheila Flynn wanted to join the Dominican sisters as soon as she completed high school in Essex, England, but her mother would have none of it. She insisted that her daughter work for at least one year, thinking that a job in London would bring financial independence and the freedom to date – and drive away thoughts of a religious life.

FGM - In the 2014 update of its data sheet on female genital mutilation, the Population Reference Bureau found that FGM appears to be on the decline. The practice, however, still affects millions of girls both around the world and across religions. An estimated 100 million to 140 million women and girls have already undergone FGM, and in Africa alone, another 3 million girls are at risk. 

GSR Today - “Sexual and reproductive health is an important aspect of women and girls’ empowerment,” wrote Sr. Ephigenia Gachiri, SL, who is a doctor in Kenya. But she noted that “discussion of matters of sexuality remain a taboo in most African societies” – and without this discussion thousands of women’s health will remain at risk. How can women who are not healthy become leaders?