Valentine Benjamin

Lagos

Travel #journalist | Recently in @SSIReview, @TechReview, @TheNationalNews, @Guardian (UK), etc. 📧hi.valentinebenjamin(@)gmail(.)com

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Articles

Democrats' future requires populist economics and ignoring cultural elites

3 weeks ago | ncronline.org | Michael Sean Winters |Valentine Benjamin |Rhina Guidos

Are the Democrats beginning to learn their lessons from November's shellacking? Yes and no. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes get high marks for their "Fight Oligarchy" rallies which are drawing thousands of people. I am not crazy about the word "oligarchy," which is accurate but unfamiliar to many people. But they are trying to reclaim the mantle of populist economics from the GOP.
Lourdes bishop covering Fr. Rupnik's mosaics on sanctuary's basilica doors

3 weeks ago | ncronline.org | Valentine Benjamin |Rhina Guidos |Federica Tourn

Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes has decided to cover mosaics by Fr. Marko Rupnik at the entrance of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, a move aimed at making the basilica more welcoming for all, particularly victims of abuse. The bishop explained his decision in an interview released by the sanctuary March 31.
Empty nets: We need a new spirituality of failure

3 weeks ago | ncronline.org | Stephanie Peirolo |Valentine Benjamin |Rhina Guidos

As a culture, we don't like failure. We want to be winners, not losers. American Christianity influences the larger culture's dislike of failure. Many strains of Christianity echo with the prosperity gospel, asserting that if we don't have wealth, abundance, and success, then we must lack the favor of the divine. If we can't feel God in a specific way, we must be doing something wrong. It must be we who have sinned, strayed, failed.
Empty nets: We need a new spirituality of failure

3 weeks ago | globalsistersreport.org | Stephanie Peirolo |Valentine Benjamin |Rhina Guidos

They get back in the boat and take Jesus out from the shore to continue his work. The Gospel story doesn't say how long Simon and his friends waited on the boat while Jesus preached, but after Jesus is done, he tells Simon to put his nets back in the water. Simon protests, saying they've been fishing all night long and got nothing. Not one fish. But, Simon says, "If you say so, I'll give it a try."We know what happened next. An abundance of fish.
Kansas Catholics, sisters join anti-mining fight in El Salvador

3 weeks ago | ncronline.org | Rhina Guidos |Valentine Benjamin

Benedictine Sr. Mary Elizabeth Schweiger holds a petition against mining in El Salvador March 24 signed by women religious at Mount St. Scholastica monastery in Atchison, Kansas. The Benedictines joined the Sisters of Charity in nearby Leavenworth as well as other Catholics from Kansas showing solidarity with the Catholic Church in El Salvador fighting a new law that allows metal mining.
Nigerian sisters help young women overcome homelessness in the heart of Lagos

3 weeks ago | ncronline.org | Valentine Benjamin |Rhina Guidos

Young women and girls at the Ozanam House pose for a photo with Sr. Mary Okeke, program coordinator at the Ozanam House. (Valentine Benjamin) Lagos, Nigeria — April 28, 2025 Joy Iwu struggled with housing issues until she found refuge at the Ozanam House, a temporary shelter managed by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Lagos, Nigeria’s business district.
Nigerian sisters help young women overcome homelessness in the heart of Lagos

3 weeks ago | globalsistersreport.org | Valentine Benjamin |Rhina Guidos

Joy Iwu struggled with housing issues until she found refuge at the Ozanam House, a temporary shelter managed by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Lagos, Nigeria’s business district. Her partner, with whom she had been living in the Sangotedo area of Lagos, threw her out on the street in March 2024 after she revealed her pregnancy. The confrontation between Iwu, 25, and her partner also led her to quit her job as a salesgirl, which only brought in a monthly income of $13.
Kansas Catholics, sisters join anti-mining fight in El Salvador

3 weeks ago | globalsistersreport.org | Rhina Guidos |Valentine Benjamin

Benedictine Sr. Mary Elizabeth Schweiger said it's been a long time since she visited El Salvador, but she has never forgotten its people. That's why she recently joined an effort to reverse a new law that allows mining in the country. Some 80 Benedictines at the Mount St. Scholastica community near Kansas City joined Schweiger, their prioress, in signing a "Yes to life, no to mining" petition they sent to El Salvador.
What Catholic sisters wish they had learned sooner

3 weeks ago | ncronline.org | Valentine Benjamin |Rhina Guidos

Religious life is full of lessons that shape and transform us over time. Along the way, some lessons come easily, while others take time to unfold. Looking back, there are always insights we wish we had known sooner. This month, we asked our panelists: What is something you have learned in your religious life that you wished you had learned sooner? These reflections offer insights into the lessons that have shaped the vocations of these sisters and continue to inspire their journeys.
Q&A with Sr. Janefrances Ihekuna, providing health care in Nigeria's waterfront communities

2 months ago | ncronline.org | Valentine Benjamin

Sr. Janefrances Ihekuna, a sister of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, is putting everything on the line to raise awareness among the people of Torugbene and nearby waterfront communities in the Bomadi Diocese of Nigeria's oil-rich Delta State. She focuses on essential hygiene practices, such as purifying the water they drink, maintaining personal cleanliness, and promoting the use of sanitary towels for women and girls.