Coronavirus
Preservationists seek to acquire beloved Hollywood home to cloistered nuns
By Alejandra Molina — May 18, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Over the years, the Monastery of the Angels community has been dwindling as the nuns age and after some died from COVID-19 and other causes, making it difficult to sustain the monastery’s ‘democratic way of life.’
What I learned when I got COVID
By Jeffrey Salkin — May 18, 2022
(RNS) — This is what ‘positive thinking’ can get you. In the midst of it all, COVID-19 became my rabbi.
Faith on the ground in Buffalo: Voice Buffalo executive director Denise Walden
By Adelle M. Banks — May 17, 2022
(RNS) — ‘They are some of the matriarchs and the pillars of our community,’ Buffalo minister says of residents killed in attack.
Measuring COVID-19’s effect: Southern Baptists report 19% attendance drop
By Adelle M. Banks — May 12, 2022
(RNS) — Beyond a rise in baptisms, the only other growth Southern Baptists saw in 2021 was in financial giving.
A new novel explores a post-pandemic religious world — in the 14th century
By Jana Riess — May 11, 2022
(RNS) — Peter Manseau’s latest book examines the Black Death for clues to our cultural moment.
Religious groups are ‘making a joyful noise’ with outdoor instruments
By Adelle M. Banks — May 6, 2022
(RNS) — ‘We wanted to make a pretty area that would enhance the chapel but be fun for the children,’ said a leader of a Texas church.
National Day of Prayer observances to feature in-person worship, online petitions
By Adelle M. Banks — May 4, 2022
(RNS) — Proclaimed by Congress in 1952, the prayer day has been observed since 1988 on the first Thursday in May, with a more diverse array of participants in recent years.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff touts ‘critical’ interfaith collaboration
By Adelle M. Banks — April 29, 2022
(RNS) — Emhoff spoke about how his interfaith marriage reflected the observance of major Jewish and Christian holidays in quick succession.
Half of churches say Sunday school, other education programs disrupted by pandemic
By Adelle M. Banks — April 28, 2022
(RNS) — Overall, evangelical churches reported experiencing the least disruption to their educational programs, while mainline churches reported the most, followed by Catholic and Orthodox congregations.
Marymount California University, a half-century-old Catholic school, to shut down
By Alejandra Molina — April 26, 2022
(RNS) — The board of trustees said it voted to close the university on Aug. 31, citing declining enrollment, rising costs of the pandemic and a lack of financial resources.
Why celebrities have a moral responsibility to help promote lifesaving vaccines
By Tina Rulli — April 20, 2022
(The Conversation) — An ethicist argues that choices made by celebrities could impose unjustified risk of harm on others.
As COVID-19 shutdown lifts, Mecca’s pilgrims bring Islam’s holiest city back to life
By Rabiya Jaffery — April 19, 2022
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (RNS) — Pandemic closures played havoc with the livelihoods of traders who depended on the pilgrims.
Renovations complete, Washington’s LDS temple provides rare public glimpse inside
By Adelle M. Banks — April 18, 2022
KENSINGTON, Maryland (RNS) — ‘It’s a conduit for heaven for a lot of us,' said a church member, 'where we believe that’s where we can commune with God here on earth.'
Virtual bathtub baptisms help Maryland megachurch gain online members during pandemic
By Adelle M. Banks — April 15, 2022
(RNS) — 'This pandemic has pushed me to understand that there are things that I never thought we could do that we can do,' said Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.
With high hopes for holidays, three faiths take stock of COVID-19 losses and gains
By Adelle M. Banks, Emily McFarlan Miller, Alejandra Molina, Kathryn Post, and Yonat Shimron — April 15, 2022
(RNS) — Even with the convergence of Easter, Passover and Ramadan this year, many Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders are uncertain whether they can count on a post-COVID-19 resurgence or what it will look like.
