Cathleen Falsani

Cathleen Falsani is a veteran religion journalist and author, specializing in the intersection of spirituality and culture. She lives in Southern California.

All Stories by Cathleen Falsani

Bono and Guggi: A friendship based on art, punk rock and Jesus

By Cathleen Falsani — August 6, 2019

VENICE, Calif. (RNS) — Now one of Ireland’s most celebrated modern artists, the U2 frontman's childhood friend and former bandmate, has a new exhibit in Venice, California.

Why the ‘Game of Thrones’ ending was more Henri Nouwen than George R.R. Martin

By Cathleen Falsani — May 20, 2019

(RNS) — In the end, the one who ascends the throne of Westeros is neither the mightiest nor the most victorious. Instead he is a broken boy — a merciful, wounded healer who comes to reign with the help of a wise fool and the unquantifiable, mysterious power of the spiritual realm.

How Jean Vanier broke my heart and saved my life

By Cathleen Falsani — May 9, 2019

(RNS) — Confronted by love and grace — the undeserved gift we cannot earn or merit, but that is given to all equally — the natural impulse is to pay it forward. To take a small risk or a leap of faith; to extend love to someone else. And to learn, as Vanier discovered, that a single act of kindness has the power to change your life — and the world.

In new film, Mary Magdalene is rechristened a revolutionary, healer and baptizer

By Cathleen Falsani — April 19, 2019

(RNS) — In the new film 'Mary Magdalene,' the title character is many things but not the one role in which she has been historically (mis)cast: the so-called 'fallen woman.'

For millennials, mysticism shows a path to their home faiths

By Cathleen Falsani — April 16, 2019

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (RNS) — A growing number of millennials are finding that contemplative spirituality is a way to bridge the faith they grew up with and their yearning for deeper connections to God.

In new book, Richard Rohr says the ‘universal Christ’ changes everything

By Cathleen Falsani — March 29, 2019

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (RNS) — Richard Rohr believes the predominant theme in Scripture and tradition is grace, which he describes as a kind of divine spackling compound that God uses to fill in the gaps between everything in all of creation. Rohr's latest book, 'The Universal Christ,' recently hit the New York Times best-seller list.

Paradise residents hope to care for environment as town rebuilds after wildfire

By Cathleen Falsani — December 28, 2018

PARADISE, Calif. (RNS) — 'We don’t know how soon we will build a replacement chapel but when we do, it will reflect the important Christian principles of stewardship and respect for creation,' says one church spokesman.

Nadia Bolz-Weber wants to kiss 1990s-era purity rings goodbye

By Cathleen Falsani — December 13, 2018

(RNS) — In the wake of #MeToo, evangelicals and other Christians are rethinking 1990s-era purity culture.

Inches from wildfire, Malibu church faces uncertainty

By Cathleen Falsani — November 19, 2018

MALIBU, Calif. (RNS) — Flames spared the church building, but some parishioners who lost their homes may not be able to rebuild. 'This is catastrophic for those people, and they’re not wealthy people,' said an associate priest.

Lutheran comfort dogs bring compassion, care during disasters

By Cathleen Falsani — November 15, 2018

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (RNS) — When suffering people meet ministry dogs, 'You see that little glimmer of hope in their eyes,' says a handler. 'You see the hurt and then it changes to hope and a smile.'

Lutheran school in Thousand Oaks learns how to grieve after losing one of its own

By Cathleen Falsani — November 9, 2018

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Like any of the mass shootings that have become near-daily trauma to the American psyche, the massacre here happened in precisely the kind of place such things aren’t meant to happen.

Before the TV hit ‘God Friended Me,’ there were two friends fascinated with faith

By Cathleen Falsani — November 9, 2018

(RNS) — The creators of a new CBS show about a mysterious Facebook contact came together just as their faith journeys were diverging.

A TV God for the age of anxiety

By Cathleen Falsani — November 2, 2018

(RNS) — The surprise success of the CBS show 'God Friended Me' has some media watchers wondering whether the small screen is on the cusp of a religion renaissance.

When the Good Place gets too good for comfort

By Cathleen Falsani — October 9, 2018

(RNS) — While the 'Forever' universe appears to be nontheistic or at least agnostic, there is a kind of secular dogma that runs through it. Think of it as a theology of comfort.

Turning her Baha’i faith into precedent, lawyer helps women gain asylum

By Cathleen Falsani — October 2, 2018

(RNS) — Layli Miller-Muro was spurred by her third-generation Baha'i faith to become an advocate for immigrant women fleeing gender-based violence.

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