Christianity

Religious holidays arrive for the faithful as pandemic restrictions rolled back across U.S.

March 31, 2021

For Christians across the United States, Easter services on Sunday will reflect an extra measure of joy as the nation experiences rising optimism after a year of pandemic. Even if still observing restrictions, many churches may draw the largest numbers of in-person worshippers in months.

It’s a season of major holy days for other faiths as well, occurring in a brighter mood than a year ago. Jews are observing Passover this week, and Muslims will enter the holy month of Ramadan in about two weeks.

Source:...

Read more about Religious holidays arrive for the faithful as pandemic restrictions rolled back across U.S.

‘Why is Jesus covered in popcorn?’: Memories of Vietnamese Catholic Holy Week in New Orleans

March 31, 2021

One Holy Saturday morning, my mother took me to church to kiss the bloody feet of Jesus. I was 6 or 7 years old at the time. When we arrived at the church, I saw the regular and occasional churchgoers, young and old, also waiting in line to venerate the Lord. Many tied white cloth headbands around their heads, a Chinese tradition that signifies the mourning of a teacher or family member. White, for many Asian communities, is associated with death.

Source:...

Read more about ‘Why is Jesus covered in popcorn?’: Memories of Vietnamese Catholic Holy Week in New Orleans

Members of many Covid-weary Vermont faith communities are staying online

March 30, 2021

A year after moving to online offerings, some Vermont spiritual communities are returning to in-person services this Easter, Passover and Ramadan, while others continue to restrict gatherings to virtual ones.

“If you recall, none of our churches were open for the Easter celebrations last year as we began the initial struggle to contain the Covid-19 pandemic,” Vermont Catholic Bishop Christopher Coyne said. “Unlike last year, Easter this year is a bit more festive, a bit more celebratory.”

Source:...

Read more about Members of many Covid-weary Vermont faith communities are staying online

Religious Life at BU Is “Resilient and Resurgent,” despite Pandemic

March 30, 2021

In spring 2020, the 104-year-old widow of a former BU professor became one of Marsh Chapel’s first congregants to die from COVID-19. “We have not been able to gather” to memorialize her or others lost during the pandemic, as on-premises gathering remains suspended, Marsh Chapel Dean Robert Allan Hill laments one year later.

Yet while the virus forced what Hill calls “worshipping...

Read more about Religious Life at BU Is “Resilient and Resurgent,” despite Pandemic

Asian American churches plan acts beyond prayer for healing

March 19, 2021

Asian American Christian leaders said Thursday their congregations are saddened and outraged after a white gunman killed eight people — most of them women of Asian descent — at three Atlanta-area massage businesses. And they’re calling for action beyond prayers.

Asian Americans were already rattled by a wave of racist attacks amid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic across the United States. While the motive behind Tuesday’s rampage remains under investigation, some see it as a wake-up call to stand up against a rise in violence against the community.

Source:...

Read more about Asian American churches plan acts beyond prayer for healing

Pittsburgh religious leaders offer prayers, comfort and encouragement during COVID memorial service

March 19, 2021

Out of grief and sheer frustration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Karie Charlton of Third Presbyterian Church in Shadyside admitted that she cried herself to sleep at several points throughout the past year.

In sharing her story of grief and vulnerability, Rev. Charlton said she hopes others may feel inspired to make themselves vulnerable to their loved ones as well during such a difficult time.

Source:...

Read more about Pittsburgh religious leaders offer prayers, comfort and encouragement during COVID memorial service

After a 28-Year Ban, Alabama Could Allow Yoga in Public Schools

March 18, 2021

For nearly three decades, teaching yoga in Alabama’s public schools has been forbidden by the state’s school board.

One lawmaker, Jeremy Gray, has been trying to change that since 2019. He made progress on Thursday, when the state’s House of Representatives passed a bill that would override the ban. The bill, which was approved by a vote of 73 to 25, will soon be taken up by the Senate.

Source:...

Read more about After a 28-Year Ban, Alabama Could Allow Yoga in Public Schools

Religious Groups Keep Faith During Pandemic, Remote Academic Year

February 23, 2021

D. Anthony Alvarez ’21, a member of the Harvard Latter-day Saints Student Association, has attended religious services at the same congregation off campus since he arrived at Harvard as a freshman.

This semester, Alvarez said he still attends services at that same congregation. Amid Covid-19, though, he must sign up to attend ahead of time, don a mask, and eschew singing, which can spread infectious particles.

Source:...

Read more about Religious Groups Keep Faith During Pandemic, Remote Academic Year

Ash Wednesday during a pandemic means sprinkles instead of markings to keep distance

February 17, 2021

At Our Lady of Lourdes in Seaford, the Rev. Steven B. Giuliano will be following the Vatican's request this year.

Unlike every Ash Wednesday that has come before, Giuliano will not be using his finger to make the sign of the cross on the foreheads of his congregation. Instead, he'll follow the advice from his church's leaders and sprinkle them upon their heads.

Source:...

Read more about Ash Wednesday during a pandemic means sprinkles instead of markings to keep distance

Salt Lake County taking COVID vaccines to Black churches, mosques to reach wary minority communities

February 17, 2021

COVID-19 vaccinations have been given in at least one Salt Lake County church and soon may be offered at several other religious sites — especially those serving minority communities.

Calvary Baptist Church, one of Salt Lake City’s oldest and most prominent Black congregations, gave 85 doses Monday and will do more starting March 1, when the age for eligible recipients drops to 65. Officials hope to have enough vaccine supply to offer them twice weekly...

Read more about Salt Lake County taking COVID vaccines to Black churches, mosques to reach wary minority communities

Religion Amidst the Pandemic: How Framingham Has Continued to Practice Their Faith

February 9, 2021

FRAMINGHAM – Over the past year, countless organizations have had to take a step back and think of new and innovative ways to operate during the coronavirus pandemic. Religious institutions have been no exception.

Despite the roadblocks and restrictions brought on by COVID, many religious institutions have actually found great success in navigating the technological world and allowing people to continue to practice their faith in new, COVID-friendly ways.

Source:...

Read more about Religion Amidst the Pandemic: How Framingham Has Continued to Practice Their Faith

No touching! Churches get ready for Ash Wednesday in a pandemic

February 9, 2021

Many churches mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent with the imposition of ashes. Clergy smear ashes, usually those left after burning palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations, onto congregants’ foreheads, often in the shape of a cross.

That practice presents a problem when health experts fighting COVID-19 have advised people to avoid touching their faces or coming in close proximity to others....

Read more about No touching! Churches get ready for Ash Wednesday in a pandemic

Evangelical Christian and Orthodox Jewish leaders offer spaces for vaccine distribution

January 28, 2021

Two national religious groups, one evangelical Christian, the other Orthodox Jewish, have teamed up to offer their sacred spaces for vaccine distribution, hoping to assist government officials and private companies in the effort to combat the ongoing pandemic.

In a recent editorial, Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, and Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, made their pitch to help “anyone in need of vaccination, whether or not they are members of our congregations or of our neighborhoods.”

Source:...

Read more about Evangelical Christian and Orthodox Jewish leaders offer spaces for vaccine distribution

Pages