Ever since 9/11, American Muslims have struggled with whether they should stay under the radar or assert their identity. Despite the discrimination that has risen to the surface since that terrible day, their ranks in the U.S. have grown substantially, and there are twice as many mosques operating today as there were in 2000. Yet the majority...Read more

The most delicious memories seem to happen during the holidays.

And like a squirrel preparing for winter, I tuck them away to savor during the long winter months. Sometimes, I enjoy them for years.

Among them are sweetest recollections: my little girls at the church play and the moment they got their first angel wings; a pink dolly stroller ...Read more

Outside a volunteer firehouse in northern Baltimore County, dozens of people gather for a ceremony that brings to life an old Jewish proverb: A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness.

Shalom Zirkind, an Orthodox rabbi, presided over the lighting of a 12-foot-tall menorah at sundown, Dec. 2, as the annual Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ...Read more

Who would have imagined that digging water wells in India or buying goats in Egypt would capture the attention of 70-year-old J.C. Runion, a West Virginia coal miner?

Unraveling the narrative of a man's steps through life is a mystery, known only to God. But why had J.C., in the seventh decade of life, responded to Jesus' call to follow him?

...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The ongoing scandal over sexual abuse by Catholic clergy has led to two new high-profile lawsuits, both aimed at forcing American bishops to divulge secret lists of offenders dating back more than six decades.

But one of the legal attacks goes even further by pinning the blame on Vatican officials for misconduct in the ...Read more

Count your blessings. Live thankfully.

This is the season when hearts gather in gratefulness.

On Thanksgiving, one little child will sit with hands folded, his head bowed in prayer, not yet realizing the magnitude of thankfulness that surrounds him. But those who love him know this little boy's gentle moment was unimaginable just 3 1/2 years ...Read more

BALTIMORE -- The first gathering of the nation's Catholic bishops since a summer wave of anger and recrimination over clergy sex abuse in the American church opened Monday with a stunning announcement:

The prelates would not vote on a series of new accountability measures – and it was the Vatican who ordered them to hold off.

Cardinal Daniel...Read more

Americans love the idea of a superhero, someone possessed of supernatural powers used for the common good.

Joe Thomas, a professor studying this phenomenon, remarked, "They explain mystery. They model behavior. They inspire. They make mistakes ... and learn from them. They are life lessons. They give hope that no matter what the odds, even one ...Read more

As a young adult, Linda Kay Klein had not had sex, but she was convinced there was a possibility she was pregnant. So much of what she had been taught about sex was focused on staying pure. What if, even as a virgin, there was a chance she failed by not following the never-quite-explained rules of her evangelical youth?

Klein describes how a ...Read more

BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- The Bishop of Belleville, Ill., apparently had two very different visits to Catholic schools this week.

At Our Lady Queen of Peace in Belleville, he told fifth- and sixth-grade students that there is no Santa Claus and they should not celebrate Halloween, according to parents.

At Blessed Sacrament School, he answered their ...Read more

Long summer days are lovely. Having grown up in the Northwest, I am still surprised to see daylight linger until nearly 10 p.m. during the summer months.

Light seems to make people feel better because they can get out of the house, enjoy one another and do things that they couldn't (or wouldn't) attempt in the deep dark of winter.

Winter ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA --U.S. prosecutors pursuing an inquiry into sex abuse by priests and cover-ups the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania have turned their attention to bishops outside the state, signaling a wider federal investigation than initially reported.

In a letter sent this month, Philadelphia-based investigators instructed the U.S. Conference of...Read more

Looking north to Cape Foulweather on the Oregon coast, one is first impressed by the 500-foot abutment of bare rock jutting out into the Pacific Ocean.

Gazing inland, one sees a steep meadow of ground cover yielding to deciduous then the abundant coniferous trees that blanket the region.

In the clear light of a bright -- if cool -- summer day ...Read more