|
|
Sponsored by: |
Gary Stern has covered religion for The Journal News for a decade. He's reported on just about every major religious group in New York's spiritual mix and covered many of the significant trends, stories and people of the day.
The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene -- weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
Stern was once leery of taking on the religion beat. It's a sensitive subject, you know. But a wise editor told him "Just cover it like you would cover anything."?
Since then, he's learned a lot about many hard-to-define elements of religious life, including the modern meaning of religious history, the myriad ways that people reconcile their faith with everyday life, and the unspoken cultural characteristics that help to define each faith and sect.
He's won some awards along the way, including the two highest honors given by the Religion Newswriters Association: National Religion Writer of the Year (2001) and National Religion Reporter of the Year (2005).
E-mail Gary Stern at gstern@lohud.com
The Hudson Valley Wind Ensemble will perform its fourth annual “Music for the World” Concert on Sunday (March 7) at the Maryknoll Sisters’ center in Ossining.
The 3 p.m. performance will benefict the global work of the Maryknoll sisters.
The program includes Fantasia for Flutes by Vilik and Variations On a Korean Folk Song by Chance.
Tickets ($25) [...]
My colleague Hannan Adely recently wrote about the Salesian Missions office in New Rochelle coordinating the Catholic order’s emergency response efforts in Haiti.
The Salesians have served some 25,000 young people in Port-au-Prince through schools, orphanages, and other programs.
More than 200 children died in one Salesian-run schools. Nine of the order’s buildings were destroyed, including their [...]
Since Archbishop Dolan came to New York a year ago, it’s been widely assumed that he would have to wait to become a cardinal.
Cardinal Egan is only 77 and is eligible to enter a conclave to vote for a pope until he turns 80. In general, it is held that the Vatican does not like [...]
As the snow falls and falls…
It’s interesting that just days before Gov. Paterson’s political world started truly collapsing, Archbishop Dolan offered kind words for the guy during a talk with NY1 (which we don’t get up here in the Burbs).
Among other things, Dolan said this:
*****
I’ve enjoyed the governor very much…We’ve had an exceptionally cordial relationship. [...]
At a time when many traditional news outlets are cutting back their coverage of religion, the Huffington Post has announced a new section of the website called HuffPost Religion.
It’s being edited by Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, a Baptist minister and Associate Dean of Religious Life at Princeton U.
The queen herself, omnipresent liberal media pundit Arianna Huffington, [...]
Still playing catch up from last week, I see that 19 Catholic theologians have signed a pretty provocative letter to the pope asking that he slow the process of possible beatification for Pope Pius XII.
The controversy over Pius’ efforts to save Jews from the Nazis is, of course, well known. I won’t attempt to restate [...]
One year ago today, the rumor became fact: Tim Dolan was the next Archbishop of New York.
He had been talked about as a leading contender for the job for at least several years. His name came up in every conversation I had with a priest or church “insider” about who might replace Cardinal Egan.
I always [...]
Back from furlough.
Watched some Olympics. Read many magazines. Taking my time through Democracy in America.
I’ve been playing catch-up today. One thing that caught my eye:
A real interesting story in the Wash Post today about the Church of Scientology hiring three prominent journalists to “study” how the St. Petersburg Times covers Scientology, which is based in [...]
I’m still on furlough—and out of posts that I could write last Friday.
So that’s it until I get back Monday.
Have a good weekend. I hope I am.
Many times in recent years, I’ve heard rabbis or synagogue officials express concern over the growth of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic sect in the northern suburbs.
The concern is always the same: Chabad offers cheap religious programming—holiday celebrations, schools for youngsters, etc.—that is very attractive to unaffiliated Jewish families that don’t want to pay pricey synagogue dues.
That [...]
The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
Copyright © The Journal News, a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper serving Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties in New York.
Bad Behavior has blocked 2154 access attempts in the last 7 days.
