For Christians, the word “church” refers both to Christian communities (ranging from single congregations to all of the religion’s worldwide adherents) and to the buildings where they gather to worship, pray, and spend time together. These structures also vary in size; some are single-room sanctuaries, while others are immense megachurches.... Read more about Church: Space and Spirit

The shape of the cross informs the architecture of many churches, and the symbol’s frequent appearance in the decoration of Christian spaces stands for the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus. For Orthodox Christians, other important images include icons, figurative representations of Christ, the Virgin Mary or saints, which adorn worship spaces, are placed in homes, and are carried throughout everyday life.... Read more about The Cross and the Icon

The central Christian rite is the Eucharist, a shared meal of bread and wine. For some Christians, the bread and wine, consecrated by a priest, are the real body and blood of Jesus; for others, the sacraments are powerful symbolic reminders of the meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion.... Read more about Sharing the Bread of Life

The biblical book of Psalms contains texts that serve as the basis for many Christian songs of praise. Musical traditions based on monastic chants accompany these verses when they are sung during worship services.... Read more about Psalms and Songs of Praise

Some Christians understand their faith to be a call to action for social justice. As members of a “mission” community, these Christians go into the world to create new church communities, address political and social issues, and meet immediate human needs, providing food, housing, and healthcare.... Read more about Service and Mission

Lent, a period of forty days (excluding Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, is a time of penitence and preparation for Christians, many of whom strengthen their faith through study, prayer, fasting or abstinence. Its restriction and solemnity contrast with the joys of Easter, the Sunday celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.... Read more about Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday

Santuario de Chimayó is a church north of Santa Fe that draws tens of thousands of penitentes, penitential pilgrims, in the week before Easter. The pilgrims seek to participate in Christ’s journey to Calvary, and often take dirt from the church’s miraculous ground, all in a hope of growing closer to God.... Read more about Easter Pilgrimage to Chimayó

Modeled on Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, the rite of baptism involves the partial or full immersion of a person into water as a sign of her rebirth into Christianity. Some denominations baptize infants, while others require that the subject has undergone a conversion experience marking their acceptance of Jesus as savior.... Read more about Baptism by Water and Spirit

Many of the global expressions of devotion to Jesus’s mother, the Virgin Mary, include shrines across the world. For American and particularly Hispanic Catholics, special reverence is often afforded to the Virgin of Guadelupe, Mary’s manifestation as an indigenous Madonna on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico, who is now considered Patroness of all the Americas.... Read more about Devotion to the Virgin Mary