When Maurice Costabile first showed up at a Houston church a few years ago, members had no clue his late father, Duilio, was a beloved TV cameraman dubbed the “Mayor of Yankee Stadium.” They just knew he looked homeless — and desperately needed a bath.
Read MoreA new Catholic diocese in Bangladesh is creating a place of hope for people of all faith, especially in the fields of education and health. Bishop Paul Gomes was consecrated this month as the first bishop of the new diocese of Joypurhat in northern Bangladesh, which is largely inhabited by indigenous people. Joypurhat is the ninth Catholic diocese in Bangladesh with more than 24,000 Catholics.
Read MoreChristians and Muslims used to fight over food at this internally displaced refugee camp in Nigeria. Following a key change by the camp’s leadership more than a decade ago, the families now live peacefully, befriending each other, eating meals together and raising their kids as a single community.
Read MorePhysical health and religious practice can help you live longer. Research points to religious involvement being positively correlated with longer life spans. Frequent religious attendance is associated with an average reduction in mortality risk of approximately 34%. In a nationwide BYU study, frequent religious attendees lived seven years longer than non-attenders.
Read MoreThe Ugandan government has announced the postponement of this year’s Uganda Martyrs’ Day celebrations, scheduled for June 3, in response to an Ebola outbreak affecting both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has claimed over 130 lives thus far.
Read MoreThe fledgling country has yet to hold its first democratic general election, while the South Sudanese suffer from extreme poverty, ethnic violence, lack of water and more. Local and international faith groups lend a measure of stability, working to meet everyday needs while providing a measure of hope.
Read MoreJames Robison, the fiery Southern Baptist evangelist who underwent a dramatic spiritual transformation in the 1980s and built several large Christian humanitarian organizations, has died. He was 82.
Read MoreIn Zimbabwe, 200 in every 100,000 women die in childbirth — a rate far higher than in many Western countries, and far exceeding international standards. While the focus is always on reducing maternal deaths, some pastors are supporting newly widowed husbands, too.
Read MoreThe U.S. Supreme Court has stayed a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals nationwide ban on mail-order abortion pills, the main mode of pregnancy termination in the U.S.
Read MoreIn a new book, a religious studies scholar discusses how the concepts of conversion, testimony and purity can be used to study the vaccine hesitancy movement. Author Kira Ganga Kieffer explains how the vaccine hesitancy movement became bound up with religious liberty activists in trying to preserve their rights.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Muslim Americans can often feel helpless in combating the hate they experience – more awareness and advocacy could reduce Islamophobia and address the mental health needs of an already vulnerable community. As the war with Iran continues, these issues will continue to persist among America’s Muslim community.
Read MoreChina’s Communist Party runs an industrialized system of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience, enabling transplants and surgically removing the organs while they’re still alive, the book claims. Its publication fuels bipartisan U.S. efforts to impose sanctions, raise accountability, and confront what it portrays as a defining feature of China’s authoritarian rule.
Read MoreThe state of Vermont is one step closer to passing a law that would require healthcare sharing ministries to submit an annual report to the state about its participants and finances. House Bill (HB) 585 includes a section entitled, “Annual Reporting on Health Care Sharing Plans and Arrangements.” It was originally proposed in 2025 as HB 102 by Rep. Conor Casey.
Read MoreIt was more than a house of worship. Iran’s residents came to the community center for affordable healthcare and to borrow books. It was the heartbeat of a neighborhood in the northwestern Iranian city of Zanjan — and now locals are mourning its loss. As the war rages on, they are looking to rebuild.
Read MoreShe walked for days through jungle mountain paths to escape the Myanmar military's campaign of terror. The medical care she needs is out of reach. What keeps her and the more than 600 people around her alive is a fragile web of church donations, local tithes and the tireless intervention of faith-based organizations — a web now stretched to breaking point.
Read More(ANALYSIS) March 31 marks 50 years since a landmark decision that shapes American patients’ rights every day: the New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in the case of Karen Ann Quinlan, who had suffered an irreversible coma. Quinlan’s case established for the first time that decisions near the end of life should be made by patients and families, not by doctors and hospitals alone.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Modern culture claims to have outgrown religion, yet quietly rebuilds it through astrology, crystals and spiritual wellness. These practices offer meaning without authority and comfort without discipline. Paganism hasn’t vanished; it has adapted, trading temples for timelines and gods for vibes, while preserving the same ancient hunger for order.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Silent retreats have become increasingly common in the United States in recent years. To calm down and reset their nervous systems, people relinquish their phones and reading materials and commit to speaking at a bare minimum to learn practices of self-awareness.
Read MoreYoung men in America are redefining adulthood, prioritizing personal responsibility and financial independence over traditional milestones like marriage and parenthood. Many face economic uncertainty, mental health struggles and doubts about college’s value — yet remain hopeful about meaningful work and family. Trade careers are gaining appeal as paths to stability and adulthood.
Read MoreGreenland, a remote, ice-covered territory three times the size of Texas, has just one Catholic church, Christ the King, in Nuuk, where Pastor Tomaz Majcen serves a tiny, mostly immigrant congregation. Amid harsh conditions, social struggles and global attention, the Catholic community provides faith, support and connection in the world’s least-Catholic land.
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