Emmanuel Episcopal Church in La Grange hopes to make its first presentation of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ an annual event.
Area performers bring ‘Messiah’ to life at La Grange church
Category: religion
Today in History: Kwanzaa first celebrated
On Dec. 26, 1966, Kwanzaa was first celebrated.
Cardinal Blase Cupich celebrates Christmas Mass with Cook County Jail detainees
The Christmas morning Mass at the jail is an annual event for Cupich, who used it to remind the men that they were not forgotten.
Centuries-old angels uncovered at Boston church made famous by Paul Revere
The painted angels — with round childlike faces and wings — once were among the defining features of Old North Church when they were painted around 1730.
For Chicago’s interfaith families, Christmas and Hanukkah are a chance to explore new traditions
The rise in intermarriage is particularly pronounced among American Jews: A Pew Research survey from several years ago found that about 42% of U.S. Jews were married to people who are not Jewish — and among Jewish people who had gotten married since 2010, 61% of those marriages were to people of other faiths.
Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome’s patience
Pope Francis kicked off the 2025 Holy Year on Tuesday, inaugurating a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome in a test of the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them.
‘Christ is the reason for the season’: Illinois group puts up Nativity scenes around nation
Despite some misconceptions, private groups can put up Nativity scenes on public property as an expression of free speech.
Filipino Catholics celebrate with Simbang Gabi leading up to Christmas
Simbáng Gabi, a Filipino Christmas tradition, is being celebrated in the Catholic community through Monday, Dec. 23 with each day having a lesson and theme. In Skokie, daily masses are being celebrated at Saints Peter and Lambert Parish. The 4 p.m. first novena mass on Sunday, Dec. 15 packed the pews, according to the Skokie church. “We have a big number of people from the Filipino tradition here,” said Rev. Anthony Castello.
Park pact with Dominican University for softball team postponed in River Forest
The River Forest Park Board deferred action on a deal with Dominican University allowing its softball team use of a public ballfield.
Pope Francis makes 1st papal visit to France’s Corsica awash in expressions of popular piety
Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society.