Christianity

How young women religious are changing the church

January 23, 2020

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...

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Iowa pastor says running for office is a test of faith

January 22, 2020

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...

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Multiracial churches growing, but challenging for clergy of color

January 17, 2020

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...

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Love of baking and prayer make religious brother a winner

January 15, 2020

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: ...

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How Filipinos celebrate their faith during Santo Nino festival season

January 14, 2020

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: ...

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A silent worship revival at an Episcopal church for the deaf 

December 27, 2019

The Lord’s Prayer ended with the bang of dozens of fists that landed on open palms after a circular motion and a thumbs up in a joint “Amen!”

Not a voice could be heard inside the cavernous sanctuary of Holyrood Episcopal Church-Iglesia Santa Cruz in Manhattan. There was no need for words: From the altar, the deaf congregants led the hearing ones, who from the wooden pews repeated the silent movement of their...

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Christianity Today Calls for Trump's Removal

December 20, 2019

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

House Speaker Pelosi rebukes reporter: 'Don't mess with me'

December 6, 2019
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'

Trinity Episcopal holds Native American worship service

November 22, 2019
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

For Ohio priest, bilingual Mass is in English and American Sign Language

November 21, 2019
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

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

November 15, 2019
On May 25, 1922, Sister Louise Gabriel watched as the grotto she had commissioned in Key West honoring Our Lady of Lourdes was dedicated, standing as a tangible assurance that so long as the structure stood, the island would be protected from hurricanes. A member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, that have roots stretching back more than 100 years serving at Key West’s Minor Basilica of Saint Mary, Star of the Sea, Gabriel had witnessed the pain, devastation and...
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Neighborly Faith urges evangelicals to find a 'third way' to befriend Muslims

November 7, 2019
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

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