It's a simple story. Some would say “simplistic.” But it didn't feel like that to me the night it happened. I arrived at my destination in Australia on the last flight of the day. The program wouldn't start until late the next afternoon so, travel worn as I was, I wasn't really worried about either the land travel to come or my lodgings. After all, the sisters who were hosting the workshop would meet me at the airport. I would be in bed somewhere within an hour.
In a country effectively at war, incongruities about matters of peace and war are revealing. Just days before the beginning of Holy Week, I heard an anti-war song – let’s call it an anti-war ballad with rap-like energy – playing on loudspeakers in a courtyard at a Catholic radio station.
Healthcare in Vietnam is difficult to access, especially for the poor, but an interfaith clinic co-founded by Catholic sisters in Ho Chi Minh City helps meet the needs of people who otherwise struggle with the services provided by state-run hospitals.
Caroline Mbonu is a member of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus. She has a doctorate from Graduate Theological Union and is currently a professor of New Testament in the Department of Religious and Cultural Studies at University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. An interdisciplinary scholar, she employs Scripture, African religious traditions and economics to seek insights into improving women’s participation in social processes.
Elizabeth A. Johnson, CSJ, is the Distinguished Professor of Theology at Fordham University in New York City. Former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the oldest and largest society of theologians in the world, she writes about the mystery of God, Christ, ecology, and issues of justice for women.
Sister Colleen Gibson is a Sister of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia who currently serves as Coordinator of Pastoral Care at St. John-St. Paul Catholic Collaborative in Wellesley, MA. An award-winning writer and speaker, she co-hosts the podcast "Beyond the Habit" (beyondthehabitpod.com).
Sr. Barbara Lum, SSJ, is a sister of St. Joseph of Rochester, N.Y. Originally from Rochester, she entered the community in 1953. She served in Selma, Ala., during the Civil Rights marches.
Judith Valente
I have always had a tremendous fear of death. It arose, perhaps, from having had older parents. I worried my parents might die, leaving me bereft. Even now, I sometimes awake at night gripped by the terrible anxiety that I will soon die.
Judith Valente is a journalist, poet, retreat guide and author of several spirituality titles, including most recently How To Be: A Monk & A Journalist Reflect on Living & Dying, Purpose & Prayer, Forgiveness & Friendship. She is completing a book on her experiences in Italy.
