At 32, novice Maria Anna Dela Paz is the youngest sister in her congregation, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, by about 20 years. She was drawn to the community’s Franciscan charisma and its emphasis on human rights and social justice advocacy, but she says, “I didn’t ever think there were people like me who were discerning.”

She’s not alone. According to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 90 percent of Catholic sisters alive today are over the age of 60; most are closer to 80. The majority are white. Many younger religious...

Read more about How young women religious are changing the church

Loving your enemies isn’t an easy thing to do on the campaign trail.

Even if the candidate is a pastor.

“(Faith) pushes us in ways that are not always comfortable, which means sacrificing yourself and caring for people that you wouldn’t want to care for normally, like loving your neighbor or loving your enemies,” said the Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott.

Source: Iowa pastor says running for office is a test of faith – Religion News Service...

Read more about Iowa pastor says running for office is a test of faith

For four hours at a megachurch outside of Dallas, pastors of color shared their personal stories of leading a multiethnic church.

One, a lead pastor of a Southern Baptist congregation in Salt Lake City, recalled the “honest conversations” he had with his 10-member leadership team before it agreed that he would present “both sides” of the controversy over quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protests at NFL games.

A founding elder of a fledgling Cincinnati congregation expressed satisfaction with her “phenomenal church,” but said “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — a...

Read more about Multiracial churches growing, but challenging for clergy of color

The oven timer dings, alerting Capuchin Franciscan Brother Andrew Corriente the chocolate layer cake he is baking needs to be checked.

A quick test with a toothpick tells him the cake needs about five more minutes in the oven, more than enough time for him to soften the butter that will eventually become the buttercream icing that will top the confection.

The enticing aromas in the kitchen at Capuchin College in Washington signal that Brother Andrew is busy creating another treat for the men who call the friary home.

Source: ...

Read more about Love of baking and prayer make religious brother a winner

While festivals after Epiphany are often known for Mardi Gras, a popular Filipino celebration of the Christ Child comes to several parishes throughout the U.S. in January.

The Festival of Santo Nino de Cebu — rooted in the deep faith of the Filipino people and originating in the Philippines’ Cebu province — finds special Masses, dances and processions taking place in which participants carry a statue of the infant Jesus marking the 16th-century arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.

Source: ...

Read more about How Filipinos celebrate their faith during Santo Nino festival season

On Sunday, three people were killed in a shooting in the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, a western suburb of Fort Worth. A local Emergency Medical Services spokesperson confirmed the suspected shooter and a victim died while being transported to a nearby hospital. The New York Times...

Read more about The White Settlement, Texas, Church Shooting: What We Know

Read more about A silent worship revival at an Episcopal church for the deaf 

Evangelicals just received an ultimatum: Abandon President Donald Trump, or betray your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Christianity Today—the magazine founded by the famous preacher Billy Graham, and the longtime forum for mainstream evangelical thought—has published an editorial calling for Trump to be removed from the White House. The editor in chief, Mark Galli, acknowledged that “the... Read more about Christianity Today Calls for Trump's Removal

Read more about How long is the sermon? Study ranks Christian churches

Finger pointing and voice hoarse, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday delivered a broadside to a reporter that might well apply to all of impeachment-era Washington: “Don't mess with me." It was a warning scarcely needed among the official set, least of all by President Donald Trump as he fights Pelosi and the Democrats in their drive to impeach him. Only a few hours earlier, Pelosi had instructed the Judiciary Committee to write articles of impeachment — formal charges — against Trump for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and resisting Congress' probe. Source: ... Read more about House Speaker Pelosi rebukes reporter: 'Don't mess with me'

Growing up on a Mennonite dairy farm in Richmond Township, David Kurtz figured he was destined to follow in his father's footsteps. Instead, in a dramatic departure from tradition, Kurtz makes sticky buns and serves cappuccino in his bakery and espresso bar at Kirbyville Farm Market in Richmond Township. Source: A Mennonite cottage industry flourishes in the Kutztown area

On Sunday in commemoration of Native American Heritage Month, Trinity Episcopal Church of Redlands held its 11th annual Native American Worship Service. As the program stated, the unique service was designed to “reflect the respectful integration of elements of Native American culture and tradition within the context of the Episcopal Church's liturgy.” The service was well attended; colorful in both flavor and proceedings. Source: ... Read more about Trinity Episcopal holds Native American worship service

Fr. David Cornett, pastor of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Barnesville, Ohio, celebrates the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass at Assumption Church in both English and American Sign Language at the same time. In addition, he serves as an interpreter during the readings and hymns at the Mass. Cornett, who also is pastor of St. Mary Parish in Temperanceville, Ohio, said he knows there are deaf people everywhere and that there is a need for interpreters in all communities. He said deaf people are often hidden because you cannot just look at a person to know they are deaf, explaining how... Read more about For Ohio priest, bilingual Mass is in English and American Sign Language

Read more about 100-year-old Marian promise still brings faith to Key West conchs

For evangelical Christians, the importance of evangelizing is right there in the name. But it’s not the best approach to building relationships with Muslims and people of other faiths, according to Matthew Kaemingk, assistant professor of Christian ethics at Fuller Seminary and author of “Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration... Read more about Neighborly Faith urges evangelicals to find a 'third way' to befriend Muslims