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By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

LAKE PLEASANT — Declining membership and financial strain are taking a toll on The National Spiritual Alliance (TNSA), which is celebrating the 150th anniversary of spiritualism’s arrival and the founding of Lake Pleasant in 1874.As a result, TNSA...

By DOMENIC POLI

NEW SALEM — The Rev. Edward “Ted” Boren plans to preach his final service at North Congregational Church on Sept. 1 — exactly 54 years to the month that he started there.The 82-year-old will deliver five more sermons before he retires and each worship...

By DOMENIC POLI

ORANGE — The Catholic priesthood is not a career, but rather a vocation, and one does not simply retire from it and live off savings and Social Security. Still, the Rev. Shaun O’Connor is stepping away from administrative duties and leaving St. Mary’s...

By THE REV. SHAUN O’CONNOR

Like a flame my hope is burning,May my song arise to You:Source of Life that has no ending,On life’s path I trust in youRefrain from the Hymn of the Jubilee 2025When Jesus begins his ministry at the synagogue in Nazareth, he reads from the scroll of...

By THE REV. DR. CANDI ASHENDEN

Before heading to South Korea in August to visit my son who teaches there, I did a little research into the religions of South Korea and was intrigued by what I learned. I discovered that South Korea, a vibrant country with a rich cultural tapestry,...

By THE REV. DR. MEGAN E. LEARY

For my birthday last year my husband and sons gave me a bird feeder with a camera attached.The camera has a motion sensor that is activated when birds land to feed and then captures video of them eating. I have become enchanted with watching the...

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — The county’s only Catholic preschool is set to open in September near the former site of Holy Trinity School.Beacon of Light Preschool is expected to start inside the Blessed Trinity Parish pastoral center and parish office at 14 Beacon...

By SAM FERLAND

ORANGE — After receiving a letter in March advising them of a complaint alleging special treatment of Mission Covenant Church, Selectboard members, in collaboration with the assessors, have decided to bill the church $13,723.54 for taxes.Americans...

By THE REV. ALISON CORNISH

One of the greatest joys in my 20 years of ministry has been getting to meet, learn from, worship with, and befriend those who identify as religiously different from how I name myself — a Unitarian Universalist. First on Long Island, then in...

By DOMENIC POLI

ORANGE — An organization dedicated to guaranteeing political distance between religious institutions and the government has not heard from town officials nearly three months after informing them of a complaint alleging special treatment of Mission...

By DOMENIC POLI

NORTHFIELD — The new priest at St. Patrick’s Church says the community has embraced him “with open arms and warm hearts.” The Rev. Paul Bombardier started at the 80 Main St. church on Dec. 7 after Bishop William Byrne reassigned him from Holy Cross...

By THE REV. VICKI IX

I have added my coming out to the list of miracles in my life — the glimpses of the resurrection I have been granted in this life. I count this moment as a blessing and pray for those who have not yet been able to say the words out loud.More...

By BEN TOUSLEY, M.DIV.

Years ago, I stood with some family members and a large crowd of strangers on a whale watch boat anxiously anticipating the appearance of the first whale. When the mighty leviathan breached the water quite close to one side of our boat, all let out a...

By THE REV. LINDA M. RHINEHART NEAS

Have you heard of “glimmer moments?” I thought this was something cutesy that someone made up, but after doing research, I learned that it is actually a scientific term.The phrase “glimmer moments” was created by psychotherapist Deb Dana in an attempt...

By THE REV. DAVID JONES

There is and there always has been within the Christian tradition a lively debate about the divinity of the person Jesus. We encounter it in our own pews at the holiest times of the year, in our unease, at Christmas, with the virgin birth, and in our...

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — The Rev. Timothy Campoli was ordained on April 6, 1974. There is little way he could have predicted he would mark his 50th year in the Catholic priesthood by celebrating Mass exactly a half-century later, but that’s precisely what...

By THE REV. RANDOLPH CALVO

This weekend, Jews are celebrating the feast of Passover. Passover began at sundown this past Monday and ends at sundown this coming Tuesday. Usually, Passover and Easter coincide on the calendar. However, this is a Jewish leap year. The Jewish...

By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Have you ever walked through a season of your life where, no matter how hard you tried, you were unable to see your way through to the “other side?” Maybe you have been anxious for months about a major decision you need to make, but despite your...

By JASPER LAPIENSKI

“In a place where there is no man, strive to be a man.” (Avot 2:6)If you take just the second half of this statement, it sounds uncomfortably familiar: Be a man. We hear that a lot these days. Real men don’t cry; be a man. Shoulder the burden. Do your...

By THE REV. DR. CANDI ASHENDEN

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and many little children in our towns will wake up to discover that the Easter Bunny has arrived while they slept and hidden real and/or plastic-colored eggs around their living rooms or yards, perhaps along with some little...