Lovers of the Holy Cross sisters began teaching in 1996, when they opened two classrooms with 30 children ages 1 to 3 at their convent near Hanoi. On Jan. 5, the nuns opened a new building with 12 large classrooms to accommodate growing demand for their care and teaching of young children. A local education official said Anh Duong Nursery School is one of the largest nursery schools among the 159 public nursery schools and 10 private schools in the province. Next year, the school plans to enroll 70 more children, bringing the total to 350 students.

Horizons - As the pottery wheel of time whizzes on, God lovingly molds us with expert hands into what — and who — is needed for the present. Even as we grieve, we can rejoice in the goodness emerging. Instead of "diminishment," I choose a paradigm of "transformation."

From A Nun's Life podcasts - In this Random Nun Clip, Sr. Subha Clare Ramesh, of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois, describes her unexpected turn from corporate life to the convent.

The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) will meet with Francis at the end of its May 6-10 triennial assembly, but unlike in 2016, Sr. Carmen Sammut, UISG president, said the group will not be asking Francis questions then. She said she does not know if he will address the work of the commission studying the history of women deacons during their encounter.

Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-AmeriCorps is a partnership between Notre Dame Mission Volunteers, a program of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, and AmeriCorps, a network of U.S. service programs. Its members serve in teaching, tutoring and other programs. They gain new skills and, often, a lifetime appreciation for service.

The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration's call to address the political and humanitarian crisis in Cameroon drew about 100 people to a town hall meeting and more than 1,000 viewers online.

When I was 6 months old, I cried for the moon. My mother could not convince me that the moon was not an accessible "ball to play with," as I insisted. Since then, I have realized that many religious seem to have some voice inside that nudges them to "cry for the moon." We're idealists. We want to re-create a better world in which to play.

Notes from the Field - I'd been concerned I was fated to repeat last year's trauma, but Robert Frost's poem and the deacon's interpretation reminded me that though the darkness of winter happens annually, so does the brightness of spring.