Dear Sisters, Dear Brothers,
Evenings are now dark on the streets of Ukrainian cities. Due to the need to save electricity, most of the lights are off. Recently, when I was leaving the store, I saw a beautiful German Shepherd, which looked at me with curiosity. The dog then started speaking with a woman’s voice. I was astonished! After a few seconds, however, I realized his owner was sitting next to the dog. Disguised by darkness and invisible to the world, she was speaking loudly on the phone.
Dear sisters, dear brothers,
It has been 200 days since the beginning of the war. Although the Ukrainian army’s most recent military achievements and the lifting of Russian occupation in the territories of the Kharkiv Oblast and the south of the country brought us joy, hope, and expectation, we are all aware that the road to full victory remains long. Today, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, by the initiative of the Council of the European Episcopal Conferences, we are celebrating in Ukraine the Day of Prayer for Peace. It is celebrated under the motto: “Kneeling before the Eucharist crying for peace.” I’m very grateful to Archbishop Gintarasa for this idea. He visited Ukraine in July, and since he is Lithuanian, I’m sure he understands perfectly well how godless and terrible the ideology of “Russian peace” could be.
Long-time Male Spirit member, John Brown, MD participated in a storytelling showcase co-sponsored by the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Public Library called “The Opera In You.” John’s story, “The Gift” tells of his encounter with a young boy and his mother on his second medical mission trip to Haiti. The story is one of a doctor’s encounter with his own heartfelt desire to heal in the best tradition of his profession and of a mother’s gratitude. Listen to John read his story at the San Francisco Public Library.
It was in December of 1999, a day at The Parliament of the World’s Religions assembled in Cape Town, South Africa. I had chosen to wear my Dominican habit by way of giving witness to my religious order’s public declaration of its interfaith mission of dialogue and respect for all faith traditions and spiritual paths. I chose to wear my religious habit, one worn by many illustrious women and men for nearly eight centuries as members of the Order of Preachers. There were of course many others in national and religious garb making this gathering of some 7000 participants from 80 countries a colorful display of our diversity.
Baytown, Texas sits between a bayou and the Gulf of Mexico, on the outskirts of Houston. It also sits under a haze of air pollution from an oil refinery. The ExxonMobil oil refinery and chemical plant in Baytown is one of the largest — and most polluting — in the country. When we found it had…
National Public Lands Day is Saturday, but wolves in the Yellowstone area are being slaughtered mercilessly — and private interests like trophy hunters and Big Oil and Gas are making matters worse.
That’s why a generous group of donors is matching every gift in honor of National Public Lands Day, up to our goal of $47,500, until midnight on Saturday. Because you’ve been such an essential supporter, we created a custom match link you can use to be the FIRST to double your impact — so hurry and give now!
At the Closing Plenary of the 2021 Parliament of the World’s Religions, hosted virtually from October 16-18, Parliament Chair Nitin Ajmera shared a special announcement with attendees. Chicago is to serve as the host for the 9th Parliament of the World’s Religions.
The 9th global Convening of the Parliament of the World’s Religions will take place on August 14-18, 2023, returning to the United States and the birthplace of the modern interfaith movement, Chicago.
The Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR) is proud to present the Visual Statement drafted and endorsed during the 2021 Parliament of the World’s Religions, held virtually for the first time in our organization’s history. The Visual Statement is an elegant, illustrated declaration of our roles and responsibilities in the face of the twin threats of climate change and Covid-19.
PoWR’s Climate Action Task Force drafted the Visual Statement and our diverse global community helped refine it through feedback and workshops before and during the virtual convening.
“Since its dedication on Christmas morning in 1856, Old St. Patrick’s has been a sacred site embodying the dreams and aspirations of hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans. In few neighborhoods have the bricks and mortar mattered so much.”
— ELLEN SKERRETT
Editor of At the Crossroads: Old St. Patrick’s and the Chicago Irish
Global Sisters Report is an independent, non-profit source of news and information about Catholic sisters and the critical issues facing the people they serve. Our network of journalists report about their lives and works, and sisters write commentary from their perspective.
A project of National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company, Global Sisters Report is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, and is funded by grants from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation. The GSR in the Classroom project is funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the GHR Foundation.
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