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 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.
Despite some misconceptions, private groups can put up Nativity scenes on public property as an expression of free speech.
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.
The River Forest Park Board deferred action on a deal with Dominican University allowing its softball team use of a public ballfield.
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.
Notre Dame Cathedral, its air thick with the smell of incense, on Sunday hosted its first Mass since the catastrophic fire of 2019, a moment that transcends religious significance to become a powerful symbol of Paris’ resilience.
By 7:30 a.m., about a dozen horse trailers had pulled into Dam No. 1 Woods, a forest preserve located along the Des Plaines River.
With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a specially designed crosier carved from fire-scorched beams, the monument roared back to life Saturday evening.
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, writer Rebecca Makkai, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, a professional Santa and more dish on their gift-giving tips and traditions.