In the News

On Monday, Jan. 21, more than 130 people from over 20 community organizations ignored the arctic temperatures, donned winter boots and made their way over to the Blackstone School for the annual MLK Day of Action. This is the ninth year that St. Stephen's Youth Programs (SSYP) has organized the…

It was a shocking moment. Members of Team Puerto Rico stood in the ruins of what had been a youth baseball stadium, debris and trash strewn everywhere, and stared in disbelief at the bleachers that somehow survived the fury of Hurricane Maria when it struck Puerto Rico in 2017. “It was mind…

Since 2006 a back garden at Old North Church in Boston has housed a memorial to the fallen of the Iraq and Afghan wars, making it the oldest such memorial in the country.  The memorial is included in this January 2019 feature in Smithsonian Magazine.

For worshipers at San Lucas Episcopal Church, the last two years have been just as painful as they feared. All of it falls heavily upon the shoulders of the men and women who gathered in a living room on Cherry Street on a recent rainy evening. It was the first night of Las Posadas (The Inns)—nine…

St. Stephen's Youth Programs (SSYP) and the Blackstone Elementary School kicked off their ninth year of a formal partnership and readers of all ages celebrated their love of books. One of the signature projects of SSYP is the school library, which [the school] was without for almost a decade before…

With dwindling attendance at religious services among young adults in the U.S., according to data from the Pew Research Center, the topic of church revitalization remains a concern at many houses of worship. Data from the Pew Research Center’s “Religious Landscape Study,” indicates nationally,…

Fashion models are often viewed as anorexic creatures who seem more like human coat hangers than strong women. Yet for a group of women in Haverhill this month, taking part in a fashion show became an act of empowerment. The “Belle Americana” fashion show featured women who have faced adversities…

The Chelsea Collaborative hosted its annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 15 at its headquarters at 318 Broadway. Collaborative president Gladys Vega and her staff welcomed members of the community, who enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner and desserts. There was also a cotton candy station for children…

The day after Thanksgiving in 1998, Rita Hester was murdered in Allston — just two days before her 35th birthday. Hester was — by all accounts — glamorous, brilliant, and driven. She was also a transgender woman. Her murder has yet to be solved. Twenty years later, roughly 300 people gathered…

The solemn martial music of a bagpipe and a bugle wafted through the serpentine lanes of the North End Saturday morning, Nov. 17, as veterans, clergy, congregants and passersby paid tribute to the fallen from the nation’s latest wars. The group of about 50 gathered behind Old North Church for…