Los Angeles
A study of Jewish LA finds a growing and diverse community
By Alejandra Molina — June 27, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — 'What happens here, and is cutting edge here, will lead the cultural evolution of Jewish life across the country,' said Noah Farkas, chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
Ex-members of La Luz del Mundo say Naasón Joaquín García deserves more than 16 years
By Alejandra Molina — June 9, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — ‘He deserves the full weight of the law,’ said Hector Vera, a former deacon of the church.
Mexican megachurch leader gets more than 16 years for abuse
By Brian Melley — June 8, 2022
(AP) — LOS ANGELES (AP) — The leader of La Luz del Mundo church has been sentenced to 16 years and eight months in a California prison for sexually abusing three girls.
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.’
In WWII, Japanese Americans’ faith came under suspicion and helped them survive their incarceration
By Alejandra Molina — April 29, 2022
(RNS) — The new 'Sutra and Bible' exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles explores the role of religion in the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
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.
In LA, ‘Atheist Pirates’ remove religious signs from public streets and overpasses
By Alejandra Molina — March 3, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — ‘The only way we can have streets that are welcoming to all is if all religions can equally go through them and be on them without feeling like they are less than.’
California bill could make it easier for houses of faith to build affordable housing
By Alejandra Molina — February 28, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, a Democrat in Oakland, introduced a piece of legislation on Feb. 16 that would reduce residential parking requirements for newly built religious institutions to allow for the construction of housing.
In Los Angeles, a Ukrainian Catholic Church serves as respite amid Russian invasion
By Alejandra Molina — February 25, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — 'Many people feel anxiety, fear, frustration … To be together in church, to be together as a Ukrainian family and support each other, that’s very important,' said the Rev. Ihor Koshyk.
Houses of faith are building affordable housing on their properties
By Alejandra Molina — February 23, 2022
(RNS) — The national nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners on Wednesday (Feb. 23) announced $8.5 million in grants from the Wells Fargo Foundation to help houses of worship convert underutilized land into affordable homes and community facilities.
Claremont School of Theology ordered to offer land to neighboring universities
By Alejandra Molina — January 27, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — At the center of the dispute is an agreement reached in 1957, when the Claremont Colleges sold the seminary land to relocate in Claremont, a city about 30 miles east of Los Angeles.
House of Intuition founders want you to tap into your ‘inner magic’
By Alejandra Molina — January 14, 2022
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — In 'Your Intuition Led You Here,' Alex Naranjo and Marlene Vargas advise readers on how to find their own inner magic.
Former London Fashion Week designer pivots to modest fashion market
By Joseph Hammond — December 22, 2021
(RNS) — After being wrongfully imprisoned for two years in the U.K., Elle B. Mambetov has taken her once famed luxury brand and focused it on modest fashion, aimed at Muslim women.
Residents fear sale of Monastery of the Angels, beloved Hollywood home to cloistered nuns
By Alejandra Molina — December 10, 2021
HOLLYWOOD (RNS) — Los Angeles residents say the monastery is 'loved by people of all faiths' and represents 'kindness in an ocean of distraction, indifference and preoccupation.'
After last year’s COVID closures, pilgrimages resume to honor Virgin of Guadalupe
By Alejandra Molina — December 3, 2021
(RNS) — This year, with more people vaccinated against COVID-19, Catholics across the country are once again gathering for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who has been a source of hope for many Latinos throughout the pandemic.
