Selected Research Reports (Boston)

A Report on LGBTQ+ and Religion in Greater Boston (2023)

This report provides a cursory look into the past and present of LGBTQ+ religious life in Boston. We hope to in the future expand this essay to include more LGBTQ+-friendly religious groups, congregations, and centers. It was last updated in October 2024...

Adaptation and Action at the Grassroots: Responses to COVID-19 and Structural Racism in the U.S. (2021)

This report offers a glimpse of religious and interfaith responses to COVID-19 and structural racism in Greater Boston and beyond.

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization Re-Founding (2020)

This report details the refounding campaign of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO). The campaign, beginning in 2019, aimed to bring in 10 to 20 new member institutions to GBIO by the end of 2020. Ultimately, GBIO brought in 18 new member...

Eastern Christianity in Greater Boston (2016)

This report surveys the history of the diverse Eastern Christian communities in Greater Boston and explores the role and meaning of icons in Orthodox Christian churches. This report was written and last updated in 2016. Every Good Friday, Massachusetts...

Death in Boston: Dying, Mourning, and Religious Difference (2014)

This report explores the history and modern practices surrounding death and mourning in Boston's religious communities. The following report was written and last updated in 2014. Scholars and critics often point to an American tradition of death and...

Faith and Legal Work Interfaith Conference at Harvard Law School (2014)

This report chronicles Harvard Law School's inaugural Interfaith Conference on Faith and Legal Work, held in March 2014. The following report was written and last updated in 2014. A network of five faith-based student organizations at Harvard Law School...

Boston Ten Civic Practices (2006)

This report details the work of ten organizations in the Greater Boston area that promote religious and interfaith engagement with Boston civic life. The following report was written and last updated in 2006. Boston is a microcosm of religious diversity...

The Faith Quilts Project (2006)

This report details the work and outreach of the Faith Quilts Project, an interfaith advocacy organization that created and displayed quilts depicting the experiences of various Boston faith communities in hopes of creating interfaith dialogue in the...

Sacred Space: Practices and Potentials (2006)

This report discusses and compares the benefits and challenges of various sacred spaces on college campuses across the country. The following report was written and last updated in 2006. A local comparative campus study In addition to their academic...

“The Clock Can Never Be Turned Back”: The Formation and Growth of Interfaith Groups in the Greater Boston Area (1993)

This report details the activities of various Boston interfaith organizations in the spring and summer of 1993.