[At a time of so much discouragement with the course of the Church — from the abuse crisis to drops in vocations and attendance, to intramural divisiveness — a recent story explosively reminds us of its courage, power, and goodness.]
From NBC:
GUWAHATI, India — Sister Rose Paite stepped inside this sprawling city’s main train station and scanned the crowd. She often visits public gathering places like this as part of her life’s mission: to save children from being trafficked.
In seconds, Paite was off. She had spotted a situation that alarmed her — a young girl, maybe 15 years old, sitting beside a much older man in a crisp button-down shirt. Paite walked up to them and began asking questions.
Before walking away, the diminutive Roman Catholic nun warned the man, but she said he was dismissive. “That girl, truly, will get into trouble,” Paite said. “She is so vulnerable.”
Paite is not a lone crusader. She’s part of a vast but little-known network of Catholic nuns dedicated to fighting human trafficking across the globe. The organization, Talitha Kum, was formed in Rome in 2009 and now operates quietly in 92 countries.
The group is made up of roughly 60,000 religious sisters. The work they do is often dangerous and daring — confronting pimps on darkened streets, patrolling dusty alleys that host brothels. The sisters also operate safe houses in several countries, providing refuge for women and girls fleeing their captors.
