Features From Ireland/Northern Ireland
- Series: The Rise of Integrated Schooling in Northern Ireland
LONDONDERRY — Several of our reporters covered how education was being impacted as Northern Ireland has continued to heal from its… Read more: Series: The Rise of Integrated Schooling in Northern Ireland - A 17-year-old Path from Immigrant Youth to Belfast Council Advocate
BELFAST — Inioluwa Olaosebikan, a 17-year-old immigrant from Nigeria, sits on the Belfast City Council where she advises the city… Read more: A 17-year-old Path from Immigrant Youth to Belfast Council Advocate - The Unanswered Questions: Why Three Former Irish Catholics Converted
DUBLIN – For the last several decades, the Catholic Church of Ireland has been losing its followers at a rapid… Read more: The Unanswered Questions: Why Three Former Irish Catholics Converted - Northern Ireland Granted Him Asylum: Now Comes the Hard Part
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Yousif Alshewaili, a 24-year-old Muslim who fled his native Iraq (pictured above), was recently granted asylum status… Read more: Northern Ireland Granted Him Asylum: Now Comes the Hard Part - Amid Rising Islamophobia in Ireland, Leading Imam Takes to the Polls
DUBLIN — Nestled behind a South Asian restaurant, a hookah lounge and a tire repair shop is home to one… Read more: Amid Rising Islamophobia in Ireland, Leading Imam Takes to the Polls - Out with God: Serving the Queer Faithful in Ireland
BLACKROCK, Ireland — On a cold, damp March afternoon, a bright orange door sat open, welcoming passers-by to the Methodist… Read more: Out with God: Serving the Queer Faithful in Ireland - ‘Religion and Comedy’s Symbiotic Relationship’: Processing Trauma Through Comedy in Ireland
DUBLIN – James Cadden, who runs a comedy show at Ha’penny Bridge Inn in Dublin, was an altar boy in… Read more: ‘Religion and Comedy’s Symbiotic Relationship’: Processing Trauma Through Comedy in Ireland - Remembering a First Love: A Story 26 Years in the Making
LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland — Christine Cowley still remembers what it felt like to lose her first love. She was just… Read more: Remembering a First Love: A Story 26 Years in the Making - When Walls Break Barriers: How an Artist’s Murals in Ireland Forged a Life-Saving Friendship From Dublin to Gaza
DUBLIN — Kneeling down on the ground, Palestinian journalist Samia Alatrash wrapped her arms around the lifeless body of her… Read more: When Walls Break Barriers: How an Artist’s Murals in Ireland Forged a Life-Saving Friendship From Dublin to Gaza - Music as a Medium to Engage Young People in Church Life
DUBLIN — A recent Youth Mass at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin started with a song that seemed to fit… Read more: Music as a Medium to Engage Young People in Church Life - In Belfast, Catholic Artists Support Palestinians With Transformed Murals
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — The walls that separate the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods of this Northern Irish city are officially… Read more: In Belfast, Catholic Artists Support Palestinians With Transformed Murals - In Northern Ireland, a Long-Awaited Gurdwara Opens with a Wedding
LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland (RNS) — On a cloudy fall day in 2021, about 100 people were praying in Derry’s only… Read more: In Northern Ireland, a Long-Awaited Gurdwara Opens with a Wedding - For Irish Muslims, Eid al-Fitr is a ‘Mixture of Happiness and Sadness,’ As All Eyes on Gaza
DUBLIN (RNS) — The Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland was decorated with festive lights on the inside and outside as… Read more: For Irish Muslims, Eid al-Fitr is a ‘Mixture of Happiness and Sadness,’ As All Eyes on Gaza - At St. Patrick Pilgrimage, Northern Irish Protestants and Catholics Light Kindling of Unity
SAUL, Northern Ireland — Divisions along religious lines were heavy on the mind of Georgina Magine as she joined about… Read more: At St. Patrick Pilgrimage, Northern Irish Protestants and Catholics Light Kindling of Unity - Unexpected Defeat of Referendums Shows Growing Power of Ireland’s Traditional Catholics
DUBLIN (RNS) — At a Mass said in Latin on Sunday (March 10), Ireland’s traditional Catholics declared political victory, days… Read more: Unexpected Defeat of Referendums Shows Growing Power of Ireland’s Traditional Catholics
Daily Dispatches From Ireland/Northern Ireland
- Day Seven: History, Hope and Homecoming
BELFAST – The last day of our trip through Ireland started again with a traditional Irish breakfast in the Europa… Read more: Day Seven: History, Hope and Homecoming - Day Six: In Belfast, a City Still Learning Peace and Healing from the Past
BELFAST – After another traditional Irish breakfast buffet of eggs, beans and black pudding, we departed Londonderry for Belfast. This… Read more: Day Six: In Belfast, a City Still Learning Peace and Healing from the Past - Day Five: Northern Ireland’s Journey Towards Peace and the Bloody Sunday Legacy
LONDONDERRY – Today, our class began exploring tumultuous divisiveness and violence in Londonderry’s recent history — and ended with an… Read more: Day Five: Northern Ireland’s Journey Towards Peace and the Bloody Sunday Legacy - Day Four: Onto Derry, Where an Imperfect Peace Persists
LONDONDERRY – On Wednesday morning, we checked out of Gresham Hotel in Dublin, met our bus driver, Kevin, and began our… Read more: Day Four: Onto Derry, Where an Imperfect Peace Persists - Day Three: The Sun Rises — As Do Tensions in Dublin’s Religious Communities
DUBLIN — We started our third day in Ireland at 8:30 a.m. by walking along the south bank of the… Read more: Day Three: The Sun Rises — As Do Tensions in Dublin’s Religious Communities - Day Two: Bridging the Divides in Dublin’s Minority Faiths
DUBLIN – After a hearty buffet breakfast of sausages, potatoes, eggs and black and white pudding, we convened in the… Read more: Day Two: Bridging the Divides in Dublin’s Minority Faiths - Day One: Discovering Dublin’s History, Cuisine and Quirks
DUBLIN — We landed in Ireland at about 7 a.m. Sunday and were greeted by typical Irish fog and a… Read more: Day One: Discovering Dublin’s History, Cuisine and Quirks
Covering Religion in New York
- In a Brooklyn Synagogue, a Rare Space to Grieve Both Palestinians and Israelis
NEW YORK – Over the last seven months, there have been numerous vigils for the Israelis killed in the Hamas-led… Read more: In a Brooklyn Synagogue, a Rare Space to Grieve Both Palestinians and Israelis - Teaching Vedanta Through Metaphor in The Upper East Side
NEW YORK — Each person views the world through a lens of their own understanding and experience, a Hindu swami… Read more: Teaching Vedanta Through Metaphor in The Upper East Side - In Soho, a Puja Fit for Modern Times
NEW YORK – In a pastel room in downtown Manhattan, Hindu worshippers took turns Friday evening throwing a handful of… Read more: In Soho, a Puja Fit for Modern Times - Dharma Wisdom: Lessons From Zen Mountain Monastery
SHANDAKEN, N.Y. — On a recent Sunday morning at the Zen Mountain Monastery — nestled in the Catskill Mountains —… Read more: Dharma Wisdom: Lessons From Zen Mountain Monastery - Rhythms of Reverence: Chanting and Meditation at Fire Lotus Temple
NEW YORK — On a recent Sunday morning, amid intermittent rain, worshippers leapt around growing puddles on the sidewalk outside… Read more: Rhythms of Reverence: Chanting and Meditation at Fire Lotus Temple - ‘Pray With Everything in You’: The Physical Matches the Spiritual at the Pentecostal Anointing Church of God
NEW YORK — On a misty January morning, an unassuming building located southeast of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park rumbles with the… Read more: ‘Pray With Everything in You’: The Physical Matches the Spiritual at the Pentecostal Anointing Church of God - May the Peace Be With You
NEW YORK — “La Paz sea contigo.” This phrase, La Paz sea contigo, means “may the Peace be with you,”… Read more: May the Peace Be With You - An Afternoon of Katha
PLAINVIEW, N.Y. — The voice of the priest at the Sikh center grew louder on a recent Sunday afternoon as… Read more: An Afternoon of Katha - Observing the Akhand Path: A 48-Hour-Long Reading of Sikhism’s Holy Book at a Temple in Queens
NEW YORK — In the heart of Woodside, Queens, a pink building stands out against the gray January sky. The… Read more: Observing the Akhand Path: A 48-Hour-Long Reading of Sikhism’s Holy Book at a Temple in Queens - A Sunday Children’s Quiz With a Twist, Ft. Imams, Namaz & Ethics
NEW YORK — A children’s quiz is on, in full swing. A dozen or so kids are seated on the… Read more: A Sunday Children’s Quiz With a Twist, Ft. Imams, Namaz & Ethics - In the Candlelight: Reflections & Remembrance at a Roman Catholic Church in the Bronx
NEW YORK — An elderly woman stood over an array of mostly unlit candles at St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Church, which… Read more: In the Candlelight: Reflections & Remembrance at a Roman Catholic Church in the Bronx - Sacred Streams: Awareness and Intentionality in Druidry
NEW YORK – It was 1 p.m. in New York City and 6 p.m. in the United Kingdom, when Nick… Read more: Sacred Streams: Awareness and Intentionality in Druidry - “Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the Lord”: Chanting in the Orthodox Church
BROOKLYN — The Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Antioch Cathedral in Brooklyn on a recent rainy Sunday morning overwhelms the… Read more: “Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the Lord”: Chanting in the Orthodox Church - Desire for God: A Teaching on the Story of Zacchaeus
NEW YORK — The Rev. Thomas Zain of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Brooklyn faces his congregation as the… Read more: Desire for God: A Teaching on the Story of Zacchaeus - Becoming an Adult at Temple Emanu-El
NEW YORK – “We are on the corner of Fifth and 65 Street in 2024. But now, we are going… Read more: Becoming an Adult at Temple Emanu-El - Besties in Biblical Times
NEW YORK – Between two Christian spirituals, a rowdy group of seven kids run onto the stage during Sunday morning… Read more: Besties in Biblical Times - Teaching the Zoroastrian Youth: The Navjote Ceremony
SUFFERN, N.Y. — Just before noon on a recent Sunday, about 50 Zoroastrian men and women stood in a circle… Read more: Teaching the Zoroastrian Youth: The Navjote Ceremony - The Tealight Candle: A Zoroastrian Priest Prays at Home
NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Every day, Arshis Pavri lights a small tealight candle in his home in this New Jersey… Read more: The Tealight Candle: A Zoroastrian Priest Prays at Home - Fatiha: The Opening
NEW YORK — A man named Sayeed, one of the mosque’s leaders, directs dozens of worshipers to line up in… Read more: Fatiha: The Opening - A Sacred Moment Between Rest and Work: Havdalah at a Modern Orthodox Synagogue
NEW YORK — In 1941, a group of 61 Jewish refugees from Luxembourg arrived in New York City. Narrowly escaping… Read more: A Sacred Moment Between Rest and Work: Havdalah at a Modern Orthodox Synagogue
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