PLACERVILLE, Calif. — This is how you ring in the Jewish New Year in the middle of a wildfire.

The rabbi still wears white, a symbol of purity and new beginnings, but instead of reading the Torah from the bimah, the synagogue's stage, he stands in an Airbnb in Santa Rosa, Calif., — his wife and children in the other room.

The actual ...Read more

ROCKLIN, Calif. — It started as a traditional Sunday service.

The worship rose and fell in emotional chorus. People shook hands with their neighbors in the pews.

But then, in lieu of a sermon, Destiny Christian Church Pastor Greg Fairrington welcomed onstage Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder.

“People of faith, in my opinion, ...Read more

CHICAGO – When safety mitigations around the coronavirus pandemic began to ease earlier this year, many area Jews hoped for a return to traditional services during the high holiday season.

In many cases, those hopes were dashed as the surging delta variant and rising COVID-19 case counts in Illinois have lead to continued unease around large ...Read more

NEW YORK — An independent investigation ordered by the Vatican cleared Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of sexually abusing two young boys while working in a New Jersey parish nearly a half-century ago, officials announced Wednesday.

The probe, conducted by a former federal prosecutor and a company headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, ...Read more

I have friends who love to run as much as I do, but will only do so on asphalt or cement. It’s all about having an even, predictable surface beneath their feet. It’s all about no surprises.

I understand their preference, even though I don’t share it. When you don’t have to worry about roots, rocks and sudden dips in the trail, you have ...Read more

MARYSVILLE, Ohio — Leah Howard stood on a stage in the middle of a prison recreation yard and told the hundreds of women sitting in the rain and staring up at her that this was their time — their time to learn how to be a better mom, their time to focus on their children like never before, their time to heal.

"There is hope in parenting ...Read more

“Don’t come knocking on my door with your Fauci ouchi!” Rep. Lauren Boebert yelled at last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference. “You leave us the hell alone!” Boebert, R-Colo., has described her election to Congress as “a sign and a wonder, just like God promised.”

She’s a moderate in some circles. One Florida ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — “Brothers,” Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gómez addressed his colleagues, “before we come to the end of our meeting, I have an announcement to make.”

It was the middle of November, two weeks after Joseph R. Biden Jr. was elected president, marking only the second time that a Roman Catholic was headed to the White ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A word common to Arabic, Persian, and Urdu — three of the languages Muqqadas Ejaz uses in addition to English — aptly describes her mission. The word is muhsen, and it means “doing good.”

Muhsen also is the name of one of the half-dozen local and national American Muslim organizations to which Ejaz — an advocate, ...Read more

Former U.S. Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy nearly 50 years ago, court documents show.

McCarrick, who was defrocked by the Vatican in 2019 over sexual abuse allegations, was charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, according to The Boston...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Ryan Brownfield grew up in a small town and elected to go to Waynesburg University in Greene County — just two blocks away from his family’s home. When he graduated in 2020 with a business degree, he was slightly apprehensive about traveling 50 miles north to work in the big city of Pittsburgh.

Despite the challenges of COVID...Read more

Christians from around the country gathered in the geographic center of the 48 contiguous U.S. states near Lebanon, Kansas, Friday to pray for America.

The event, called Prayer at the Heart of America, was organized by P. Douglas Small, president of Project Pray.

The website for the event states “Prayer At the Heart is a call to the family ...Read more

“Ouch!”

I banged my head once again while under the sink trying to figure out why the faucet flow was reduced to a trickle. After a number of efforts and not a little consternation on my part, the source of the clog was found and full flow was restored much to my satisfaction, sore forehead notwithstanding.

Clogs. I’m referring to ...Read more

The news that Pope Francis will reimpose limits on the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass will disappoint and even enrage devotees of that ritual. But traditionalist Catholics who appreciated the revival of the old form encouraged by Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, are caught in a couple of contradictions.

The first is that ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A canvas drape covered the statue, but that did not stop tourists from filming themselves in front of it.

With a selfie stick decked in images of the old South Vietnamese flag, Vinh Hoang of Houston narrated for a Facebook post.

After it is unveiled this weekend, the 12-foot-tall Virgin Mary, as she is believed to have looked ...Read more

Heat waves shimmied in rhythm from the basalt lip of rock. It was hot, I was bone tired and — with 21 miles behind me — I still had eight more to go.

A moment’s rest wouldn’t do any harm.

I eased around a wide lip of rock on the bank of a rushing river. Looking for a semi-flat surface to plant my bottom and feet, I said out loud, “...Read more

SEATTLE — It was Alex Churchman's mother who found Beloved Arise first. She was searching for a way to help her 13-year-old, who had been questioning his gender identity and hospitalized after an attempt to harm himself.

Ashley Churchman, who lives in Arkansas with Alex, saw an Instagram post by the Seattle-based organization, started last ...Read more

Pope Francis was taken to a hospital in Rome Sunday afternoon for a scheduled surgery, the Vatican announced.

The 84-year-old pontiff is undergoing surgery for symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon, during which small bulges or sacs form from the wall of the large intestine. If left untreated and allowed to become more severe, ...Read more

Rabbi Michael Perice told his Burlington County, N.J., congregation Monday that he has been in recovery from opioid addiction for 10 years and hopes to help lift the stigma on people experiencing substance abuse disorder or other mental health challenges.

Perice, 35, of Philadelphia, made the disclosure during a Zoom call with more than 80 ...Read more

Rick Warren’s announcement on June 6 that he plans to step away from his role as lead pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, raises the issue of succession in evangelical megachurches. It’s a fraught process, complete with cautionary tales from other congregations.

First, we should appreciate the scale of Warren’s ...Read more