By Sophie Vodvarka (Editor’s note: This guest blog post appeared originally Nov. 7, 2018, on the blog Sick Pilgrim on Patheos, a website devoted to global dialogue about religion and spirituality, and to exploring and experiencing the...

Google “most beautiful places of worship” and you’ll get some stunning examples of architecture, from churches to temples to mosques. But what makes a place of worship “beautiful”? And what is the functional nature of that beauty, however...

Recently, I relistened to a series of CDs by the poet David Whyte. Titled Clear Mind Wild Heart: Finding Courage & Clarity Through Poetry, the audiobook has become something of a spiritual mentor for me, and I find I listen to it...

“Why are megachurches and formerly iconoclastic mainline denominations looking more like Catholic parishes in terms of liturgy and practices even as some Catholics are, late to the party as usual, imitating evangelicals and building...

What’s the future of religion in America? Award-winning journalist Ray Suarez explored that question in an address to the Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul Annual Assembly on May 30. “Even the most optimistic among us about the future...

Not all young people are leaving the Catholic Church. Nor are those who stay uniformly conservative, traditionalist, or doctrinally dogmatic. Those realities make few headlines, pushed aside by handwringing over Nones and Dones—those...

Religious affiliation is not to blame for anti-Muslim attitudes in the United States. Islamophobia rather is most characteristic of those who do not have personal relationships with Muslims, or who are ignorant about Islam. Those are...

By D. Dale WalkerPart 1 of 2 How can churches engage young people meaningfully, keeping them active and growing in faith? Helpful ways of answering this question exist outside of churches and seminaries. One particularly useful tool...

By D. Dale WalkerPart 2 of 2 One of the defining characteristics of the American church is its entrepreneurial spirit. Innovations like Methodism and Mormonism took deep root in this country, as did radio and television ministries. Parachurch...

I had not heard of Rachel Held Evans until she died on May 4. My wife noticed a write-up about her online and pointed it out to me. “An influential progressive Christian writer and speaker who cheerfully challenged American evangelical...

Music throughout history has provided people a means to gather, talk, worship, pray, celebrate, dance, sing, meditate. Music is both communal and profoundly personal, providing comfort, happiness, inspiration, joy. Many of us have music...

(Note: Saint Mary’s Press Research spoke with Sara, a young Muslim woman, about her experience growing up and today as a Muslim woman in the United States. Her experiences and insights offer valuable context to appreciate the religious...

Spiritual direction is essentially companioning someone in his or her spiritual life. Other ways of describing spiritual direction include holy listening, spiritual friendship, sacred journeying.” (Janna Larson, from the website Spiritual...

A number of blog posts in this space have emphasized the importance of listening and being heard. Not only do those in the midst of religious and spiritual questioning need gracious places and people with whom to talk. Each of us has...

Note: Christiana Rice, coauthor with Michael Frost of To Alter Your World: Partnering with God to Rebirth Our Communities (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017), participated in a panel discussion at the West Coast Symposium on...

By Andrea D. Chavez-Kopp If you live in or visit any major city, you will find the new phenomenon of motorized scooters zipping along the streets. Walking the sidewalks, you may see people zooming by, off to run an errand, get to a meeting...

Seeking to identify “points of hopefulness,” archdiocesan leaders met at the New York Catholic Center in Manhattan for a gathering called “Conversation About Young Catholics Leaving the Church.” At the Feb. 26 evening meeting, John M....

A nonprofit in San Francisco has found an interesting facilities model for its efforts to nurture human connection and build community. Two chairs and a city sidewalk. On May 7, 2015, Sidewalk Talk “set up chairs and signs, offering...