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By HETTY STARTUP

As the calendar year turns, our faith communities seem like they are running to just catch up from the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts, both positive and negative. In this context, it makes more sense that I was asked recently to talk with...

By THE REV. RANDY CALVO

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. The excitement is palpable, especially since Frosty and Rudolph have engulfed us since the moment Halloween was over. However, I mention with reservation that some Christians seem somewhat dissatisfied with the Christmas...

By THE REV. CANDI ASHENDEN

We are now right in the middle of the Advent season and also in the middle of the frenzied holiday rush. We are trying desperately to find the joy in the season as we shop for gifts, or help others out, or begin to consider baking special treats, or...

By DOMENIC POLI

LEYDEN — The Leyden United Methodist Church has taken its lumps in the past few years, and parishioners hope a holiday craft fair, paired with a crowdfunding campaign, can help raise the money needed to keep the doors open.The craft fair is scheduled...

By MARY BYRNE

GREENFIELD — Nearly 30 years after a menorah was last placed on the Greenfield Common, the traditional candelabra has once again been erected in recognition of the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.The eight-branch Hanukkah menorah was built and...

By DOMENIC POLI

SHELBURNE FALLS — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield this week acknowledged new credible findings against the late Richard Lavigne, a convicted sex offender and former Shelburne Falls priest believed to have killed a 13-year-old altar boy in...

By THE REV. ROBERT M. KOERBER

I am currently reading a book by famed author Simon Sebag Montefiore titled: “The World, A Family History of Mankind.” This 2023 book, which reads over 1,333 pages, tells of the “origins” of families, from 9500 BC to the present. From the early...

By JULIAN MENDOZA

As the New England Peace Pagoda in Leverett celebrated its 38th anniversary this month, late Wampanoag medicine man Slow Turtle, as well as the intercultural peace he advocated for, were on the minds and hearts of those who visited the spiritual...

By MARY BYRNE

GREENFIELD — A private Christian school — one that has become a controversial subject in recent weeks — received approval from the School Committee on Monday to open its doors this fall. Providence Christian Academy, which will operate out of the...

By MARY BYRNE

GREENFIELD — A law firm specializing in religious civil liberties is arguing that by tabling the application for Providence Christian Academy, the School Committee unlawfully discriminated against the new private school looking to open on Chapman...

NORTHFIELD — Dwight L. Moody biographer Kevin Belmonte will deliver the presentation “D.L. Moody: A Life,” based on his book of the same name, on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Trinitarian Congregational Church, 147 Main St., as part of Northfield’s 350th...

By MARY BYRNE

GREENFIELD — A private Christian school plans to open this fall, pending approval from the School Committee.Providence Christian Academy, which would operate out of the former Greenfield Alliance Church at 385 Chapman St., is a ministry of the...

By AALIANNA MARIETTA

BERNARDSTON — After 10 years leading the United Church of Bernardston, the Rev. David Neil has retired, wrapping up 45 years in parish ministry that has included more than 900 funerals, 400 weddings and 300 baptisms. Neil gave his last Mass on Sunday,...

By BELLA LEVAVI

GREENFIELD — With an eye toward creating a space where all values are represented, Spiritual Leader Simcha Halpert-Hanson has been selected to take on the role held by Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener.Following Cohen-Kiener’s retirement after eight years...

By REV. BRETT REITENBACH

How can a person come to God with full assurance? The portion of the Bible called Hebrews was written to Jewish believers in Jesus Christ who were facing persecution. It is one of the richest books of the Bible but is also one of the most difficult to...

By HETTY STARTUP

What do you see when you look at a rock? Perhaps it’s on the sidewalk, by the ocean or in a garden? Do you wonder how it got there? What is its story? Maybe rocks are not your thing. But as late April’s Earth Day celebrations have now passed, I...

By THE REV. RANDY CALVO

There is so much more to celebrate today than I realized. I must mention that today is National Nurses Day since my daughter is a nurse. On a lighter note, though, May 6 is also National Beer Pong Day. I live in Amherst and I can see for myself how...

By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Have you ever considered the difference between charity and generosity? Does giving to others make you feel good? When you drop a few coins in The Salvation Army bucket at Christmas, or donate a little to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital, do you take...

By DOMENIC POLI

Today, women make up about 47% of the American workforce, but 100 years ago, that figure hovered around 20%. The norm of the day was for a woman to stay home, supporting her husband and raising children. And the tradition held a grip on society for...

By THE REV. LINDARHINEHART NEAS

The poet Dorothy Frances Gurney wrote “The kiss of the sun for pardon, / The song of the birds for mirth, / One is nearer God’s heart in a garden / Than anywhere else on Earth.” When my mother read me this poem for the first time, I asked her why...