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Podcast hosts: Sister Maxine, IHM, and Sister Shannon, OSF 1:40  A call to leadership and a visit to the endodontist. 3:36 Listener: My husband and I have two beautiful boys, ages 4 and 6. Our Catholic faith is important to us, and we want to help our boys learn about faith. They’re young, so we’re working at a very basic level, but honestly, it’s discouraging. It’s hard to compete with other ideas in our society. We hit a new low this past Easter. We were explaining how much Jesus loves us, that He would do anything for us, that He wants us to be happy. After some blank stares, the boys asked, “Then why doesn’t Jesus give Easter eggs like the Easter Bunny?” If you have any advice, we’d most sincerely appreciate it. 15:00  Listener: I suppose it is a grace of Lent that I have been thinking of purgatory. I’ve done my best to confess my sins and say my penance. My question, now that I am old and looking to draw nearer to God, is: “How do you know what you have failed to do?” We are required to confess these sins as well. I feel extremely inadequate these days in my confessions. How should I think about what I have failed to do? 29:30  Listener: My older sister Angela and I were raised Catholic, but we only did Catholic things until we were 18. That’s when we got jobs and left home and didn’t have to go to church because our parents made us. Angela’s almost 30 now and she’s had some really hard times. She told me that two years ago, she started saying the rosary on her way to work, and she still does at least one rosary and sometimes two per day. I’m really surprised by this, because she doesn’t go to church or anything else. Just the rosary. But does the rosary work if it’s the only faith activity you do? The rosary https://siste.rs/2S6tzVG How to pray the rosary (tutorial)  https://siste.rs/3gKlM8i Subscribe to our newsletter   Check out lots more podcasts  Intro/outro music by Wild Carrot

In this Random Nun Clip, Sister Joan Dawber talks about the stories of amazing women who've reclaimed their lives after surviving human trafficking. Hear the full In Good Faith episode IGF042 at aNunsLife.org. 

Sister Maxine talks with Sister Sharlet, an immigration lawyer and executive director of the Newcomer Network, an innovative program that provides immigration legal services and connects people with other essentials such as food, health care, and employment. The Network is part of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Washington, D.C. 01:48   Providence, travel, and Sister Sharlet's call to live as a Catholic sister. 08:08  Discerning a call to the Sisters of the Holy Cross and to ministry as an immigration lawyer. 11:15  Ministry at the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles, California, and Holy Cross Ministries, in Utah.  14:36  Stories of spirit and resilience from immigrants and asylum seekers. 21:19  Helping immigrants navigate social services. 27:16  Facts vs. fiction about immigrants and immigration. 36:24  Taking a faith-based approach to immigration. 39:32  Politics, policies, and what happens when there's a change in administration in the White House. 44:30  Recommended resources about immigration:  U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Justice for Immigrants Lutheran Immigration Refugee Services  Newcomer Network Subscribe to our newsletter   Check out lots more podcasts  Visit Sister Sharlet's congregation, the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana  

A listener worries because people at Mass walk around at the Sign of Peace instead of social distancing and wearing masks. Hear the full Ask Sister episode https://anunslife.org/podcasts/ask-sister/as233

A listener asks if the scary angel memes she sees flying around on the internet are accurate. Or are angels actually nice? Hear the full Ask Sister episode AS233 at aNunsLife.org.   

Sister Anne Victory reflects on what she has learned through her work with the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, in the Cleveland area. Hear the full In Good Faith episode IGF041 at aNunsLife.org. 

Sisters Barbara Hagel and Jeanette DeYoung are Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose in Fremont, Calif. They are also gardeners, beekeepers, and educators whose work exemplifies the Dominican Sisters’ leadership in caring for creation. The Dominican campus is home to a 5,000 square foot vegetable garden, a community garden, fruit trees, olive trees dating to the early 1800s, a meadow, and over 1 million honeybees. It’s a place of beauty and education, where the local community gathers with the sisters to learn about and model sustainable living. Sister Barbara is the Sustainability Coordinator for the Dominican Sisters. She has master’s degrees in Science Education and in Private School Administration. Sister Jeanette is a Registered Nurse and has a BA degree in Natural Science. Subscribe to our newsletter    Check out lots more podcasts  Visit our website

Sister Joan Dawber talks about the ways she sensed God calling her from her role as a Pastoral Associate to a new ministry. Hear the full In Good Faith episode IGF042 at aNunsLife.org. 

Sister Anne Victory talks about the need for many organizations to work together to end forced labor and assist victims of human trafficking. Hear the full In Good Faith episode IGF041 at aNunsLife.org.  

Sister Joan Brown, OSF, is Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light. The organization works from the core belief that care of the natural world is integral to spiritual life and social justice. Sister Joan works with people of many faith traditions for education, action, and policy advocacy around climate change and care of Earth. Previously, she ministered as a journalist, director of Pikes Peace Justice and Peace Commission, and co-director of Tierra Madra, a sustainable strawbale self-help housing project that she co-founded. Sister Joan grew up on a farm near Olpe, Kansas, in the Bluestem Prairie region. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Religion and Cosmology. She is a Sister of St. Francis of Rochester, Minnesota. Subscribe to our newsletter    Check out lots more podcasts  Visit our website

A listener asks how the Mass readings are chosen and who gets to decide. Hear the full Ask Sister episode AS232 at aNunsLife.org. Hosts: Sister Maxine and Sister Shannon.

Sister Donna Liette is a Restorative Justice Practitioner and the Director of Women’s Programming at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, on Chicago’s South Side. She provides safe spaces for mothers who have lost children to violence and incarceration to share their stories and find support, healing, and hope in community. Prior to Chicago, she served for 14 years in Dayton, Ohio, as Executive Director of Mercy Manor, a transitional home for women released from the Ohio prisons. Previously, she has ministered as a teacher, principal, foster mother, campus minister, and spiritual director. Sister Donna has master’s degrees in Education Administration and in Pastoral Counseling. She is a Sister of the Precious Blood, Dayton, Ohio.

A listener wonders if it’s easier to be forgiven than to do what’s right in the first place. Hear the full Ask Sister episode AS232 at aNunsLife.org. Hosts: Sister Maxine and Sister Shannon.

A listener wonders why, after Confession, her penance was just to say some prayers. Hear the full Ask Sister episode AS232 at aNunsLife.org. Hosts: Sister Maxine and Sister Shannon.

A listener wonders if we should expect religion to make us happy... or not. Hear the full Ask Sister episode AS231 at aNunsLife.org. Hosts: Sister Maxine and Sister Shannon.

Sister Richelle Friedman is Director of Public Policy at the Coalition on Human Needs, in Washington, D.C. The Coalition promotes public policies that address the needs of low-income people and other vulnerable groups. It is an alliance of national organizations including civil rights, religious, labor, and professional organizations, service providers, and others concerned with the well-being of children, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Previously, Sister Richelle served as a policy analyst and lobbyist at the Children’s Defense Fund, McAuley Institute, and NETWORK. She is a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Dubuque, Iowa. Subscribe to our newsletter    Check out lots more podcasts  Visit our website

A listener wonders why Mary has dozens of different names, and who gave them to her. Hear the full Ask Sister episode AS231 at aNunsLife.org. Hosts: Sister Maxine and Sister Shannon.

Sister Joan Dawber founded LifeWay Network in 2007 to provide safe housing for survivors of human trafficking in the New York City area. LifeWay collaborates with many agencies to provide trafficking survivors with resources such as  legal support, health care, education, and job opportunities. Today, LifeWay operates homes where over 100 women from 34 countries have found safe shelter and the resources needed to reclaim their lives and independence. LifeWay also provides education about human trafficking to groups such as health care professionals, law enforcement, and social workers.   Sister Joan was born and raised in Manchester, England. She is a Sister of Charity Halifax, Nova Scotia. Subscribe to our newsletter    Check out lots more podcasts  Visit our website

Podcast hosts: Sister Maxine, IHM, and Sister Shannon, OSF Read the full transcript of this podcast on our website                      1:50  Lent is just a around the corner. What the Sisters are planning for Lent. 3:00  Listener: “I've really missed going to Mass on Sunday, so I decided to start going again. The reason I stopped was because of COVID. When I talked with people from the parish, they said everyone at Mass is supposed to be social distancing and wearing masks. ‘Great,’ I thought, and I went the very next Sunday. It started off fine, but then some people took their masks off right in the middle of Mass. And during the Greeting of Peace, they walked around, even though the priest had said to just greet one another in your hearts. I was going to talk to our priest about this, but am I wrong to think that public health practices should be enforced at Mass? And whose role would that be--the priest, the ushers anyone?    13:00  Listener: “I like angel memes, but they raise a lot of questions. First, there are memes about Ezekiel, 10:14, where the angels are scary. They have lots of eyes, and sometimes the whole angel is just eyes. But  aren't angels supposed to be kind and gentle, not scary? Also, in the memes, angels can go anywhere they want. They move around in all directions like a UFO. Is that really true about angels? And if it is, why do they need to be able to do that? 34:00  Listener: “Thank you for your awesome podcast! I am in the process of conversion. I'm in our CIA classes, and I have so many questions, but I'll pick just one. I've heard many grumblings from some Catholics regarding the progressive leadership of Pope Francis. I thought the pope had papal infallibility. If so, why are some people criticizing his leadership? Subscribe to our newsletter   Check out lots more podcasts  Intro/outro music by Wild Carrot

Sister Anne Victory has led efforts against human trafficking for more than a decade. In 2007, she helped to establish the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking. One result of the Collaborative’s work is that over 60 agencies in NE Ohio–law enforcement, health care, social services, and others—are now connected to weave a safety net for the men, women, and children who are victims of human trafficking. Sister Anne is Director of Education at the Collaborative, and her background includes extensive experience as a nurse clinician, educator, and administrator. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Sister Anne Victory, HM, designs and gives presentations to a wide variety of groups about how they can help to prevent and end human trafficking. She has served on the Steering Committee of the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking from its founding in 2007. She is also active with U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking and was Board President from 2016-2020. Sister Anne served on the Humility of Mary Leadership Team from 2001-2009. Prior to that, she ministered in a health care system as Director of Staff Education and Vice President of Mission, and earlier served for 25 years as a hospital nurse clinician, educator, and administrator. The oldest of seven children, Anne was born and raised in Ohio. She entered the congregation of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary after high school graduation. Sister Anne has a master’s degree in Nursing from Ohio State University.  LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST: Polaris Project   US Department of Health and Human Services   Shared Hope International   HEAL Trafficking  US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking  Sisters of the Humility of Mary  We’d like to hear from you! Please fill out this short survey. Thank you!