Pope Francis has compared the mentality of religious men and women who engage in gossip to that of terrorists. He elaborated that such people are “enemies” of religion. The pope was speaking to men and women religious and seminarians in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, towards the end of a three-day visit to the populous Muslim-majority nation.
Blessed Rani Maria was stabbed to death Feb. 25, 1995 as she traveled from her mission area in Udainagar village to Indore town to board a train for her home state of Kerala in southern India. Her mission work was part of Indore Diocese.Powerful money lenders and landlords who opposed the nun's work among villagers to make hem financially self-sufficient hired Samandar Singh to assassinate her.
For two months now, Sister Betsy Espana has brought food aid to displaced families, some of the almost 400,000 people affected by armed clashes between government troops and terrorist gunmen. The nun from Our Lady of Triumph of the Cross congregation said she wants to perform her mission "out of the spotlight," saying that she is there with the people "to serve them."
The Missionaries of Charity congregation that St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta founded continues to grow even in difficult areas, says its present superior as they celebrated the 107th birth anniversary of the saint, the first such celebration after her canonization.
Sister Isabel's experiences in Mozambique civil war inspire her to help Manila's needy African nun shares 'goodness of life' with Filipino poor. Born in 1969 to parents who lost three older children to sickness, Isabel views life as a gift.
In Spain, a cloistered monastery is closed every month, mainly due to the advanced age of the nuns and economic difficulties. The lack of young vocations and the lack of income precipitate closures and force some communities to ask for help from food banks, according to a report prepared by Vida Nueva magazine.
Let us accompany Jesus as he goes forth to meet his people, to be in the midst of his people. Let us go forth, not with the complaining or anxiety of those who have forgotten how to prophesy because they failed to take up the dreams of their elders, but with serenity and songs of praise.
The Spanish daily El Pais, could not resist publishing an extensive report on Sr. Veronica. According to the newspaper, she “has become the biggest phenomenon in the Church since Teresa of Calcutta,” as “she has made the old convent of Lerma into an attractive recruiting banner for female vocations, with 135 professional women with a median age of 35.
A religious sister working with Christian families in Aleppo, Syria, has criticized Western media for their allegedly biased coverage of the six-year conflict. Sister Annie Demerjian, a member of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary, questioned why Western journalists focused on the plight of people in areas held by rebels and jihadis but seldom those in regions controlled by the government of Bashar Assad.
Much of her story is familiar. But there is one facet of her life, revealed only after her death, that astonished even those who knew her well. And it is this hidden aspect that makes her an even more compelling figure, a saint for our times. The great secret was that shortly after her momentous train ride to Darjeeling, after a time of feeling intensely close to God, Mother Teresa experienced a spiritual darkness for the rest of her life.
Religious men and women to shape Asian Church Asia, although very rich in culture and religions, is being challenged by widespread poverty Religious men and women to shape Asian Church
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, the future Mother Teresa, was born on 26 August 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, to Albanian heritage. Her father (Dranafile Bojaxhiu), a well-respected local businessman, died when she was eight years old, leaving her mother (Dranafile Bojaxhiu), a devoutly religious woman, to open an embroidery and cloth business to support the family.
Fifteen dioceses and one archdiocese had record-high contributions in collection to offset rising health care costs. “Words cannot express our gratitude for the love, sacrifice and generosity these donations represent; the annual assistance the collection furnishes helps religious communities across the country provide for the ongoing needs of aging members.” said Sister Susan Schorsten
A young nun from Derry was among more than 400 people killed in an earthquake in Ecuador last Saturday. The bodies of 33-year-old Sr Clare Theresa Crockett and four other women were discovered among the rubble of a school in Playa Prieta.
Two weeks ago, four Missionaries of Charity in Yemen were among the victims of a brutal terrorist attack on a care home where the nuns were working. One of the MCs, Sister Sally, survived, and gave an account of the events to another nun, Sister Rio. Her account was recorded by Sister Adriana, whose note is available here.
As the Church’s Year of Consecrated Life has just ended, it is worth reflecting on what has happened to religious life in general in Western countries over the past 50 years and whether it has a future. At first sight it is a rather grim picture. Many religious orders in the West are declining and ageing, but there’s actually plenty of good news as well. Those of us who entered religious life just after Vatican II will probably remember it in the words of Wordsworth after the French Revolution: “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive”.
I formulated three suggestions in this regard: to study the possibility of ordaining women to the permanent diaconate; to permit married couples to speak during homilies in Mass to bear witness to the connection between the proclaimed Word and their lives as spouses and parents; to recognize the equal ability of women to take on decision-making roles in the Church.
