On April 20th, a Minnesota jury convicted former police officer Derrick Chauvin of the murder of George Floyd. The Hennepin County Courthouse, barricaded in downtown Minneapolis, had gathered a crowd of protestors, who erupted into cheers when the verdict was read. Seven miles away at the University of St. Thomas, [...]
The Vatican Observatory, long run by the Jesuits, has recently complete a redesign of their website. The new site includes features like a podcast, with episodes such as "Death by Meteorite? What are the Chances?" and "The Vatican's Interest in Space Exploration?" There's a list of the scientists working at [...]
In an interview at The Pillar, Sr. Mary Bendyna, OP, the executive director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), discussed the current state of religious life and where she sees its future. The center of religious life, she notes, is the following of Jesus Christ in a [...]
Cardinal João Bráz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of of Apostolic Living (CICLSAL) issued a letter today, March 25th, 2021, commemorating the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata. Recalling the vitality and originality of the document (something Card. [...]
Be part of the national Religious Brothers Day Virtual Gathering on Religious Brothers Day, May 1, 1:3-2:30 pm (ET). We will celebrate the vocation of brother with prayer, reflections by several brothers, and small group conversation. Register here to get the Zoom link. Click here to get resources and materials related [...]
On February 1, 2021, a coup d'état was staged in Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party was forcibly removed from power by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military, headed by Min Aung Hlaing). In the following days, a number or protests occurred, with some turning violent. During one [...]
Catholic Sisters Week is March 8-14th, 2021. An annual event sponsored by the Communicators for Women Religious since 2019, it is a week that "shines a light on the spirituality, mission, and community building of women religious." This year, many of the congregations involved used the attention to focus on [...]
Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, a French Xaviere sister, was named undersecretary to the Synod of Bishops on February 6, 2021. She is the first women to serve in such a role for the Synod of Bishops and the first woman to have a vote at the Synod of Bishops. Adding [...]
The challenges of COVID-19 have forced religious communities to adapt their vocational process. Like the Dutch Trappists of Koningshoeven , a community of Benedictine women in Arkansas has largely moved their vocation and discernment process online. The director of vocations, Sr. Judith Timmerman, holds online discernment retreats, and communicates with [...]
Shannen Dee Williams, an assistant professor of history at Villanova University, is writing a book on the history of black religious sisters in America and the way they took on racism and institutional barriers to entry in religious life. Their story is, she says, an overlooked one, and one that [...]