Kristin E. HolmesWhat I DoI cover faith and spirituality. (610) 313-8211Three volunteers with the Fire Police have helped keep Montco safe for more than a combined 150 yearsThree longtime fire police volunteers in Montgomery are celebrating 50-plus years of service.Kristin E. Holmes July 13, 2019Link copied to clipboardNew metropolitan archbishop of Ukrainian Catholic Church faces challenge of renewal among U.S. faithfulThe Most Rev. Borys Gudziak, a native of Syracuse, will be installed Tuesday as the seventh Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, the spiritual leader of the church in the United States.Kristin E. Holmes June 4, 2019Link copied to clipboardClosed Episcopal Church in Center City reopened to find a new mission — and graves beneath the floorboards (from May 2019)A memorial showcasing nine uncovered crypts, some dating to the early 1800s, is part of a resurrected St. Stephen’s, retooled for a new definition of “church.”Kristin E. Holmes May 27, 2019Link copied to clipboardStudents at Bucks County school create Muslim prayer space in Quaker meeting houseFounded in 1893, George School is a boarding and day school with 547 students who this year come from 22 states and 44 countries. They practice Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, or no religion at all.Kristin E. Holmes May 17, 2019Link copied to clipboardArea mosques report receiving threats after video shows Muslim children reciting violent poems, songs The Philadelphia branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued an advisory to all Islamic institutions to increase security precautions.Kristin E. Holmes May 7, 2019Link copied to clipboardNew museum dedicated to St. John Neumann opens at shrine in Northern LibertiesAmong the 100-item collection are the saint's Bibles, chalice, vestments, eyeglasses — and a noose given to him to commemorate the deaths of two prisoners hanged at the old Moyamensing prison. Neumann performed their Last Rites.Kristin E. Holmes April 26, 2019Link copied to clipboardBig winds level Holy Week Tabernacle replica at South Jersey church Storms have forced the cancellation of the Tabernacle Experience traveling exhibit at Victory in Christ Christian Center in Westville, Gloucester County.Kristin E. Holmes April 16, 2019Link copied to clipboardReligious communities consider how much faith to put in marijuanaClergy and activists argue that religious communities have a role in the cannabis debate, even if their perspectives conflict.Kristin E. Holmes June 12, 2019Link copied to clipboardSt. Katharine Drexel’s religious community to auction items from Bensalem motherhouse in preparation for property saleThe Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, the religious community founded by Philadelphia heiress St. Katharine Drexel, offer more than 200 items for auction in preparation for the sale of their 44-acre property in Bensalem.Kristin E. Holmes May 29, 2019Link copied to clipboardAfter more than 200 years in Philly, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania headquarters moves to NorristownThe Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania will move its headquarters from a building adjacent to the local denomination’s cathedral in University City to St. John's Episcopal Church in Norristown, and maintain a satellite office in Center City at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.Kristin E. Holmes May 26, 2019Link copied to clipboardNorth Philadelphia mosque explains how children wound up reciting violent poem in videoA group of children who recited violent songs and a poem in Arabic last month as part of a school program at North Philadelphia mosque did not understand their meaning, according to a statement released Wednesday.Kristin E. Holmes May 15, 2019Link copied to clipboardMuslim American Society investigating ‘oversight’ following controversial video at Philly Islamic center; event organizer ‘dismissed’“This was an unintended mistake and an oversight in which the center and the students are remorseful," said the Muslim American Society.Kristin E. Holmes May 5, 2019Link copied to clipboardThrough sickness, hospital kosher pantries help Jewish families keep traditionsArea hospitals including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Lankenau Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have opened Shabbat pantries that provide places for observant Jews to maintain tradition while visiting loved ones.Kristin E. Holmes April 25, 2019Link copied to clipboardFreedom Seder’s 50th anniversary to be celebrated in a Philly mosque to point out the rise of IslamophobiaThe interfaith observance of Passover created by Rabbi Arthur Ocean Waskow will be celebrated Sunday at Masjidullah, a mosque in West Oak Lane.Kristin E. Holmes April 5, 2019Link copied to clipboardMuslims celebrate the end of the holy month of RamadanAlso called the “Festival of Breaking Fast,” Muslim families mark the day with early morning prayer, sharing breakfast, exchanging gifts and participating in fun activities for children.Kristin E. Holmes June 4, 2019Link copied to clipboardThe eulogy: How to craft a portrait of the dead to comfort the livingAt their best, eulogies bestow a gift to the grieving of a multi-dimensional portrayal that is familiar and often revelatory. At their worst, they are boring, cliché-ridden tomes that fail to say anything new or insightful.Kristin E. Holmes May 28, 2019Link copied to clipboardSt. Anne Catholic Church sanctuary named Archdiocesan shrineFor more than a century, the church has kept a relic, a piece of wrist bone, of the woman whom Christians believe was the mother of the Virgin Mary.Kristin E. Holmes May 17, 2019Link copied to clipboardWith measles cases still rising, what religion has to say about vaccinationNone of the world’s major religions object to vaccines, said scientist Rene Najera, who runs the College of Physicians website on the history of vaccines, but there is sometimes confusion, disagreement, ignorance, and propaganda in the pews.Kristin E. Holmes May 9, 2019Link copied to clipboardThey serve free dinner. Every week. To anyone who shows up. Supper, a meal program founded by St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, began as an effort to feed families but has evolved into an outreach that also helps people in need of connection. In recent years, the program has expanded to offer a total of five dinners each month at four churches.Kristin E. Holmes May 5, 2019Link copied to clipboardTwo Philly-born brothers, both priests and military chaplains, to be buried together in Arlington’s Chaplains HillA graveside ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery will mark a reunion of sorts for the Revs. Robert and Frank Brett, brothers who served as military chaplains in Vietnam, and died nearly 50 years apart.Kristin E. Holmes April 19, 2019Link copied to clipboardSee more stories
Three volunteers with the Fire Police have helped keep Montco safe for more than a combined 150 yearsThree longtime fire police volunteers in Montgomery are celebrating 50-plus years of service.Kristin E. Holmes July 13, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Three volunteers with the Fire Police have helped keep Montco safe for more than a combined 150 yearsThree longtime fire police volunteers in Montgomery are celebrating 50-plus years of service.Kristin E. Holmes July 13, 2019Link copied to clipboard
New metropolitan archbishop of Ukrainian Catholic Church faces challenge of renewal among U.S. faithfulThe Most Rev. Borys Gudziak, a native of Syracuse, will be installed Tuesday as the seventh Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, the spiritual leader of the church in the United States.Kristin E. Holmes June 4, 2019Link copied to clipboard
New metropolitan archbishop of Ukrainian Catholic Church faces challenge of renewal among U.S. faithfulThe Most Rev. Borys Gudziak, a native of Syracuse, will be installed Tuesday as the seventh Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, the spiritual leader of the church in the United States.Kristin E. Holmes June 4, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Closed Episcopal Church in Center City reopened to find a new mission — and graves beneath the floorboards (from May 2019)A memorial showcasing nine uncovered crypts, some dating to the early 1800s, is part of a resurrected St. Stephen’s, retooled for a new definition of “church.”Kristin E. Holmes May 27, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Closed Episcopal Church in Center City reopened to find a new mission — and graves beneath the floorboards (from May 2019)A memorial showcasing nine uncovered crypts, some dating to the early 1800s, is part of a resurrected St. Stephen’s, retooled for a new definition of “church.”Kristin E. Holmes May 27, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Students at Bucks County school create Muslim prayer space in Quaker meeting houseFounded in 1893, George School is a boarding and day school with 547 students who this year come from 22 states and 44 countries. They practice Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, or no religion at all.Kristin E. Holmes May 17, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Students at Bucks County school create Muslim prayer space in Quaker meeting houseFounded in 1893, George School is a boarding and day school with 547 students who this year come from 22 states and 44 countries. They practice Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, or no religion at all.Kristin E. Holmes May 17, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Area mosques report receiving threats after video shows Muslim children reciting violent poems, songs The Philadelphia branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued an advisory to all Islamic institutions to increase security precautions.Kristin E. Holmes May 7, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Area mosques report receiving threats after video shows Muslim children reciting violent poems, songs The Philadelphia branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued an advisory to all Islamic institutions to increase security precautions.Kristin E. Holmes May 7, 2019Link copied to clipboard
New museum dedicated to St. John Neumann opens at shrine in Northern LibertiesAmong the 100-item collection are the saint's Bibles, chalice, vestments, eyeglasses — and a noose given to him to commemorate the deaths of two prisoners hanged at the old Moyamensing prison. Neumann performed their Last Rites.Kristin E. Holmes April 26, 2019Link copied to clipboard
New museum dedicated to St. John Neumann opens at shrine in Northern LibertiesAmong the 100-item collection are the saint's Bibles, chalice, vestments, eyeglasses — and a noose given to him to commemorate the deaths of two prisoners hanged at the old Moyamensing prison. Neumann performed their Last Rites.Kristin E. Holmes April 26, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Big winds level Holy Week Tabernacle replica at South Jersey church Storms have forced the cancellation of the Tabernacle Experience traveling exhibit at Victory in Christ Christian Center in Westville, Gloucester County.Kristin E. Holmes April 16, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Big winds level Holy Week Tabernacle replica at South Jersey church Storms have forced the cancellation of the Tabernacle Experience traveling exhibit at Victory in Christ Christian Center in Westville, Gloucester County.Kristin E. Holmes April 16, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Religious communities consider how much faith to put in marijuanaClergy and activists argue that religious communities have a role in the cannabis debate, even if their perspectives conflict.Kristin E. Holmes June 12, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Religious communities consider how much faith to put in marijuanaClergy and activists argue that religious communities have a role in the cannabis debate, even if their perspectives conflict.Kristin E. Holmes June 12, 2019Link copied to clipboard
St. Katharine Drexel’s religious community to auction items from Bensalem motherhouse in preparation for property saleThe Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, the religious community founded by Philadelphia heiress St. Katharine Drexel, offer more than 200 items for auction in preparation for the sale of their 44-acre property in Bensalem.Kristin E. Holmes May 29, 2019Link copied to clipboard
St. Katharine Drexel’s religious community to auction items from Bensalem motherhouse in preparation for property saleThe Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, the religious community founded by Philadelphia heiress St. Katharine Drexel, offer more than 200 items for auction in preparation for the sale of their 44-acre property in Bensalem.Kristin E. Holmes May 29, 2019Link copied to clipboard
After more than 200 years in Philly, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania headquarters moves to NorristownThe Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania will move its headquarters from a building adjacent to the local denomination’s cathedral in University City to St. John's Episcopal Church in Norristown, and maintain a satellite office in Center City at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.Kristin E. Holmes May 26, 2019Link copied to clipboard
After more than 200 years in Philly, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania headquarters moves to NorristownThe Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania will move its headquarters from a building adjacent to the local denomination’s cathedral in University City to St. John's Episcopal Church in Norristown, and maintain a satellite office in Center City at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.Kristin E. Holmes May 26, 2019Link copied to clipboard
North Philadelphia mosque explains how children wound up reciting violent poem in videoA group of children who recited violent songs and a poem in Arabic last month as part of a school program at North Philadelphia mosque did not understand their meaning, according to a statement released Wednesday.Kristin E. Holmes May 15, 2019Link copied to clipboard
North Philadelphia mosque explains how children wound up reciting violent poem in videoA group of children who recited violent songs and a poem in Arabic last month as part of a school program at North Philadelphia mosque did not understand their meaning, according to a statement released Wednesday.Kristin E. Holmes May 15, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Muslim American Society investigating ‘oversight’ following controversial video at Philly Islamic center; event organizer ‘dismissed’“This was an unintended mistake and an oversight in which the center and the students are remorseful," said the Muslim American Society.Kristin E. Holmes May 5, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Muslim American Society investigating ‘oversight’ following controversial video at Philly Islamic center; event organizer ‘dismissed’“This was an unintended mistake and an oversight in which the center and the students are remorseful," said the Muslim American Society.Kristin E. Holmes May 5, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Through sickness, hospital kosher pantries help Jewish families keep traditionsArea hospitals including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Lankenau Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have opened Shabbat pantries that provide places for observant Jews to maintain tradition while visiting loved ones.Kristin E. Holmes April 25, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Through sickness, hospital kosher pantries help Jewish families keep traditionsArea hospitals including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Lankenau Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have opened Shabbat pantries that provide places for observant Jews to maintain tradition while visiting loved ones.Kristin E. Holmes April 25, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Freedom Seder’s 50th anniversary to be celebrated in a Philly mosque to point out the rise of IslamophobiaThe interfaith observance of Passover created by Rabbi Arthur Ocean Waskow will be celebrated Sunday at Masjidullah, a mosque in West Oak Lane.Kristin E. Holmes April 5, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Freedom Seder’s 50th anniversary to be celebrated in a Philly mosque to point out the rise of IslamophobiaThe interfaith observance of Passover created by Rabbi Arthur Ocean Waskow will be celebrated Sunday at Masjidullah, a mosque in West Oak Lane.Kristin E. Holmes April 5, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Muslims celebrate the end of the holy month of RamadanAlso called the “Festival of Breaking Fast,” Muslim families mark the day with early morning prayer, sharing breakfast, exchanging gifts and participating in fun activities for children.Kristin E. Holmes June 4, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Muslims celebrate the end of the holy month of RamadanAlso called the “Festival of Breaking Fast,” Muslim families mark the day with early morning prayer, sharing breakfast, exchanging gifts and participating in fun activities for children.Kristin E. Holmes June 4, 2019Link copied to clipboard
The eulogy: How to craft a portrait of the dead to comfort the livingAt their best, eulogies bestow a gift to the grieving of a multi-dimensional portrayal that is familiar and often revelatory. At their worst, they are boring, cliché-ridden tomes that fail to say anything new or insightful.Kristin E. Holmes May 28, 2019Link copied to clipboard
The eulogy: How to craft a portrait of the dead to comfort the livingAt their best, eulogies bestow a gift to the grieving of a multi-dimensional portrayal that is familiar and often revelatory. At their worst, they are boring, cliché-ridden tomes that fail to say anything new or insightful.Kristin E. Holmes May 28, 2019Link copied to clipboard
St. Anne Catholic Church sanctuary named Archdiocesan shrineFor more than a century, the church has kept a relic, a piece of wrist bone, of the woman whom Christians believe was the mother of the Virgin Mary.Kristin E. Holmes May 17, 2019Link copied to clipboard
St. Anne Catholic Church sanctuary named Archdiocesan shrineFor more than a century, the church has kept a relic, a piece of wrist bone, of the woman whom Christians believe was the mother of the Virgin Mary.Kristin E. Holmes May 17, 2019Link copied to clipboard
With measles cases still rising, what religion has to say about vaccinationNone of the world’s major religions object to vaccines, said scientist Rene Najera, who runs the College of Physicians website on the history of vaccines, but there is sometimes confusion, disagreement, ignorance, and propaganda in the pews.Kristin E. Holmes May 9, 2019Link copied to clipboard
With measles cases still rising, what religion has to say about vaccinationNone of the world’s major religions object to vaccines, said scientist Rene Najera, who runs the College of Physicians website on the history of vaccines, but there is sometimes confusion, disagreement, ignorance, and propaganda in the pews.Kristin E. Holmes May 9, 2019Link copied to clipboard
They serve free dinner. Every week. To anyone who shows up. Supper, a meal program founded by St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, began as an effort to feed families but has evolved into an outreach that also helps people in need of connection. In recent years, the program has expanded to offer a total of five dinners each month at four churches.Kristin E. Holmes May 5, 2019Link copied to clipboard
They serve free dinner. Every week. To anyone who shows up. Supper, a meal program founded by St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, began as an effort to feed families but has evolved into an outreach that also helps people in need of connection. In recent years, the program has expanded to offer a total of five dinners each month at four churches.Kristin E. Holmes May 5, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Two Philly-born brothers, both priests and military chaplains, to be buried together in Arlington’s Chaplains HillA graveside ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery will mark a reunion of sorts for the Revs. Robert and Frank Brett, brothers who served as military chaplains in Vietnam, and died nearly 50 years apart.Kristin E. Holmes April 19, 2019Link copied to clipboard
Two Philly-born brothers, both priests and military chaplains, to be buried together in Arlington’s Chaplains HillA graveside ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery will mark a reunion of sorts for the Revs. Robert and Frank Brett, brothers who served as military chaplains in Vietnam, and died nearly 50 years apart.Kristin E. Holmes April 19, 2019Link copied to clipboard