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By DOMENIC POLI

NORTHFIELD — The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield has decreed that the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel at Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) will be an official pilgrimage site for the people of the diocese in observance of the 2025 Jubilee Year.

By THE REV. JASON A. BURNS

It always amazes me at how quickly the joy and excitement of the Christmas season subsides. I suspect it is because the joy of Christmas does not come from the virgin birth, from shepherds in their fields, from kings following a star, or from angels singing with the heavenly hosts. It isn’t about the beautiful decorations, the gorgeous music, the happiness of seeing and being with family, or watching our children open gifts from Santa. All of these wonderful things are byproducts of the fact that God lives among us.

By THE REV. CANDI ASHENDEN

As the holiday glow fades and January settles in, the humdrum of daily life returns. The decorations are boxed up, the festive meals are a memory, and the calendar flips back to workdays, school schedules, and to-do lists. For many, this transition...

By THE REV. DR. CHRIS DAVIES

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was radical — a prophet, even, in a world that offered little hope for an unwed pregnant teenager.For many Christians, Sunday, Dec. 22 is the Fourth Sunday of Advent — the day that symbolizes love — wherein Mary’s song of...

By PASTOR BENJIMAN DURFEE

During the last two months of the year, we’re usually overwhelmed with messages to be jolly, we’re expected to show up for events with cheerful smiles, and we’re constantly surrounded by the joyous sounds of the holiday season. And while this is a...

By THE REV. ALLEN M. COMSTOCK

Because faith matters, we need to ask ourselves whether, in this time of political stress, our faith has gotten swallowed up in our politics. If so, we need to rescue our faith from our politics so that maybe our faith might come to the rescue of our...

By VIRGINIA RAY

Benjiman Durfee, the newest pastor at Trinity Church in Shelburne Falls, “tried to ignore the call” to ministry for years, but his college job as director of music ministry at the First United Methodist Church in Westfield changed that.A native of...

By JAN FLASKA

Perhaps like me, folks like you find wisdom in the nearly forgotten corners and conversations of our past experiences. As a teacher of religious studies and philosophy, I stand by the idea that, truly, there are few new — few genuinely new - ideas to...

By KATE MASON

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church is celebrating 200 years in Greenfield with some special events for our larger community. Some folks may wonder what is a Unitarian Universalist? Our non-creedal faith is progressive and inclusive. We are...

By THE REV. DAVID JONES

I’ve been re-reading “The Prophetic Imagination,” a classic by biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann. In it he talks about the prophetic ministry of churches as being the result of two essential ingredients.The first ingredient is that a church must...

By THE REV. HEATHER J. BLAIS

Recently, we took our oldest child on a tour of my alma mater, Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Our oldest has always navigated life with an insatiable curiosity and desire to know more. I was eager for them to have a taste of the...

By THE REV. RANDOLPH CALVO

Today is Oct. 5. Election Day is Nov. 5.A recent survey found that 90% of Americans can name a recent news event that made them angry while only 50% could name something that made them proud. This is a worrisome comparison of numbers as we approach...

By THE REV. ALISON CORNISH

When a message runs through the whole of scripture, it’s worth taking notice. The ancient imperative of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures — to welcome the stranger — is one of note for its insistence, its timelessness, and timeliness, too.First...

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — The pastor of Blessed Trinity Parish has been named the next chancellor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.On Nov. 1, the Rev. Michael Pierz will assume some of the duties handled by the Rev. John Lessard, who requested that...

By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Have you ever judged yourself for not being “spiritual enough?” And what does that even mean? Today in America we often find people speaking more about their spiritual journeys than their faith or religious journeys, and for many that is a much better...

By THE REV. LINDA M. RHINEHART NEAS

In his book, “Room of Marvels,” James Bryan Smith writes, “The most beautiful stones have been tossed by the wind and washed by the waters and polished to brilliance by Life’s strongest storms.”I have this quote, sent by a friend on a laminated slip...

By THE REV. JIMMY PICKETT

I have on my right arm a tattoo that reminds me every day why I serve as a priest in the Episcopal Church.I grew up in Leicester and spent nearly every weekend at my Great Grandmother’s house, an old red farmhouse with a big barn and a large field...

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GREENFIELD — People from various walks of life gathered at the Franklin County Fairgrounds on Thursday for the first day of the three-day SoulFest Christian music festival.In its 26th year, SoulFest secured the Greenfield fairgrounds for the first...

By THE REV. JULIE G. OLMSTED

Recently, I saw a video featuring a performer named Rhiannon Giddens. The video was called “Another Wasted Life,” and featured a group of exonerated prisoners through an organization you may have heard of: The Innocence Project. I looked it up...

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

The Christian music festival SoulFest is coming to the Franklin County Fairgrounds for a weekend of music, community and advocacy from Aug. 15-17. The festival has been operating since 1998, combining music from popular Christian music acts across...

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...