In the News

Inspired by the Gospel imperative to feed the hungry, the food pantry at St. Martin's Church in New Bedford has grown to serve 150 families a month, SouthCoastToday.com reports.  "Hunger doesn't seem to be ending," food pantry director Libby Davenport says in the story. "It does affect…

Pope Francis (real name: Jorge Mario Bergoglio) has shaken up the Catholic church with some plain speaking about faith and about life in the 21st century. He has had an impact on other faiths, as well. Welcome to “pope envy.”I first encountered the term in an essay by Jana Riess, a liberal Mormon…

In Downtown Crossing around 7 p.m., on the sidewalk outside Macy’s, David Reid approaches a pair of homeless men and hands each a small rectangular packet with a note attached. Inside the pouches are silver Mylar space blankets, the same kind worn by astronauts and handed to marathoners after a…

For the last four years, the Medford Historical Society has teamed up with faith communities around Medford to spotlight their roles in Medford history. This year, the focus has turned to one of the city’s oldest and most dynamic faith communities — Grace Episcopal Church. 

Supporters of ballot initiatives to raise the state’s minimum wage by $2.50 an hour and require that all businesses provide workers sick time have collected more than 200,000 signatures in a broad outreach effort supported by dozens of religious institutions.

Walpole residents have joined up with the non-profit Mil Milagros to help feed hungry school children in Guatemala and provide a sustainable way to keep them fed and in school for as long as possible. After an Oct. 2 fundraiser that brought in more than $130,000 for Guatemalan children, Jill Takacs…

Dozens of Taunton pets took part in what otherwise would have been a typical service at the Episcopal Church of St. Thomas on Sunday morning, Oct. 6. The Rev. Richard Bardusch said that the Blessing of the Animals has become a tradition for the Taunton parish, during which members and guests bring…

The small, quiet town in Fairfield County is a world away from the streets of Dorchester, but the two communities are, in a sense, linked: Both mourn the innocent children they have lost to gun violence. Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, saw that connection…

Jorge Fuentes did things his own way. “If you’re not being yourself, you’re not having fun,” he would say, flashing a smile. As a contrarian kid, he sometimes drove his mother and teachers and pastors crazy. But by his late teens, he was a standout counselor at his church’s youth programs. He…

Dozens of dog-owners had their pets blessed at the SouthCoast Humane Society & Shelter on Saturday, some with canine friends in tow, others with the memories of those deceased in their hearts. The third annual event was organized in concurrence with the feast of St. Francis de Assisi, the 13th…