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

Weighing the spiritual cost when saints turn out to be scoundrels

By Cathleen Falsani — September 11, 2018
(RNS) — What do we do when we learn our beloved shepherd is actually a predator, or the faith leader we’ve admired all our lives turns out to be unworthy of our trust?

COMMENTARY: Pete Holmes searching for comedic communion

By Cathleen Falsani — January 15, 2014
(RNS) For a period in his younger life, the host of “The Pete Holmes Show” on TBS, which debuted late last year and follows “Conan” on late-night TV, was on a trajectory to become a youth pastor.

COMMENTARY: Nelson Mandela preached with his life

By Cathleen Falsani — December 10, 2013
(RNS) Mandela lived his theology. He preached with his life. And his legacy is a scripture we will study for generations to come.

COMMENTARY: I get by with a little help from my friends

By Cathleen Falsani — December 5, 2013
(RNS) Every moment of the recent Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for a Cure for Breast Cancer in San Diego was a prayer and a blessing, an adventure and a lesson. What did I learn? A lot of things, but the greatest was this: We need to cheer more.

COMMENTARY: Mary J. Blige, my guardian angel

By Cathleen Falsani — November 19, 2013
LOS ANGELES (RNS) When I think about the guardian angels who I’ve been told surround me like spiritual body guards, I picture the Angel In Charge looking and sounding a lot like the Grammy-winning singer Mary J. Blige.

An edgy pastor whose edginess isn’t just shtick

By Cathleen Falsani — November 8, 2013
Nadia Bolz-Weber has a bold and unmistakable voice, preaching the gospel of grace in a way the world needs to hear. And we might not listen if her appearance, vocabulary and backstory were more neat, pious or easy.

Sitting down at Ann Romney’s ‘Family Table’

By Cathleen Falsani — November 4, 2013
SANTA ANA, Calif. (RNS) Ann Romney and I agreed that food -- the preparation, presentation, and sharing of meals -- is one way we express our love for and extend grace to one another.

No turning away, or back, after seeing ’12 Years a Slave’

By Cathleen Falsani — October 28, 2013
LOS ANGELES (RNS) Those scenes of slave owners using the Bible as a spiritual weapon against their slaves, weren’t poetic license. They actually happened. And it begs the question: How are we using the Bible today to enslave the “other” or each other?

COMMENTARY: Every prayer, every breath, a step toward a cure

By Cathleen Falsani — October 15, 2013
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (RNS) We, the faithful, are meant to be the hands of God in the world – hands that help and heal and comfort; hands that defend the defenseless. If we can be God’s hands, we also can be God’s feet.

I’ll admit it. I have a major crush on Pope Francis.

By Cathleen Falsani — September 16, 2013
(RNS) Pope Francis doesn’t hold his arms open like a diva or Eva Peron – as if he’s gathering adoration unto himself. No, when Papa Frank stretches his arms wide it’s as if he’s trying to give the world a bear hug.

I’ll take my salvation without the snakes, please

By Cathleen Falsani — September 10, 2013
(RNS) If there were such a thing as “spiritual hazard pay” for columnists, I would be submitting a claim after watching the first two episodes of the new National Geographic series “Snake Salvation.”

The unsilenced voice of Seamus Heaney

By Cathleen Falsani — September 4, 2013
(RNS) The disappearance of Irish poet Seamus Heaney — so unexpected and jolting — left a silence and a stilled a pen. There would be no more new words. And yet the poetic embrace he’s left as a legacy is vast enough to hold those of us who drew life from his work and many generations to come.

Catching up and catching grace with singer-songwriter Sam Phillips

By Cathleen Falsani — August 30, 2013
PASADENA, Calif. (RNS) Hardships, whether it's a failing economy or a failing marriage, are a kind of stripping away that, while painful, can make room for unimaginable blessings. Just ask singer-songwriter Sam Phillips.

Walter White and the Gospel According to ‘Breaking Bad’

By Cathleen Falsani — August 19, 2013
(RNS) Walter White of "Breaking Bad" is one of the most complicated and terrifying characters ever to appear on television. And what makes him all the more frightening and compelling is that he started out so ... normal.

Walter White and the Gospel According to ‘Breaking Bad’

By Cathleen Falsani — August 19, 2013
(RNS) Walter White of AMC's "Breaking Bad" is one of the most complicated and terrifying characters ever to appear on television. And what makes him all the more frightening and compelling is that he started out so ... normal.
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