The Columbian

Churches & Religion

Humane Society for Southwest Washington veterinarian assistant Isabel Chavez, right, holds the dog Butters while Dr. Kayla Harris listens with a stethoscope. The Humane Society participated in a Thursday resource fair at Open House Ministries in downtown Vancouver.

Open House Ministries’ annual resource fair in Vancouver sees record-breaking number of community partners

August 15, 2024, 5:44pm Churches & Religion

People wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis greeted attendees at a resource fair Thursday hosted by the faith-based nonprofit Open House Ministries, which operates a shelter in downtown Vancouver. Read story

The Rev. Ron Blakely takes a break from rehearsing with sheet music and scripture for his Sunday Gospel Hour at Robert’s Western World honky tonk on Friday, July 26, 2024, at his log cabin home near Watertown, Tenn.

No drinking and only Christian music during Sunday Gospel Hour at Nashville’s most iconic honky tonk

August 11, 2024, 6:02am Churches & Religion

Robert’s Western World is known as Nashville’s most authentic honky tonk and synonymous with country music. But for an hour on Sundays, no one can drink alcohol; everyone must listen to Christian music. Read story

FILE - NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore gestures as he talks to family members after leaving the operations and checkout building for a trip to launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Texas congregation supports its members in space

August 10, 2024, 6:00am Churches & Religion

About 10 miles from Johnson Space Center, a Houston-area church takes a moment during Wednesday Bible studies and Sunday evening services to pray for two members who cannot be there. Read story

Volunteer Keith Dewing, left, and David Leitz prepare coolers of ice water for guests at the Living Hope Church cooling center July 8.

‘Taking care of our neighbors’: Clark County cooling centers continue to refine their mission

August 9, 2024, 6:07am Churches & Religion

In the past five years, two trends have converged: Clark County’s homeless population has increased significantly. And dangerous heat waves have become more frequent. Read story

FILE - In this Sunday, March 10, 2013 file photo, U.S. Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley arrives to the Santa Maria alla Vittoria church in Rome to celebrate Mass. Pope Francis on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, accepted the resignation of Cardinal Sean O’Malley as archbishop of Boston and named the current bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, Richard Henning, to replace him as leader of one of the most important Catholic archdioceses in the United States.

Pope Francis’ close ally, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, retires as archbishop of Boston at age 80

August 5, 2024, 7:47am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of Cardinal Sean O’Malley as archbishop of Boston and named the current bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, Richard Henning, to replace him as leader of one of the most important Catholic archdioceses in the United States. Read story

Ann McCauley, right, examines the damage at Bethel Church after Hurricane Beryl moved through the area July 8 in Van Vleck, Texas.

Skyrocketing insurance smites church budgets

August 3, 2024, 6:03am Churches & Religion

The Rev. John Parks was taking his first sabbatical in 40 years of ministry when he got a call from his church’s accountant with some bad news. Read story

Jehovah’s Witnesses to gather in Tri-Cities

July 31, 2024, 7:48am Churches & Religion

The 2024 convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be held at Toyota Center in Kennewick the weekends of Aug. 23-25 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1, according to an announcement from Jehovah’s Witnesses. Read story

FILE - Pope John Paul II gives his blessing to late father Marcial Maciel, founder of Christ’s Legionaries, during a special audience the pontiff granted to about four thousand participants of the Regnum Christi movement, at the Vatican, on Nov. 30, 2004. The recently-opened archives of Pope Pius XII have shed new light on claims the World War II-era pope didn’t speak out about the Holocaust. But they’re also providing details about another contentious chapter in Vatican history: the scandal over the founder of the Legionaries of Christ.

Pope archives shed light on scandal

July 27, 2024, 6:04am Churches & Religion

The recently opened archives of Pope Pius XII have shed new light on claims the World War II-era pope didn’t speak out about the Holocaust. But they’re also providing details about another contentious chapter in Vatican history: the scandal over the founder of the Legionaries of Christ. Read story

Mark Erickson, third from left, leads others in singing on the drum July 10 during an open drum and dance night at Minneapolis American Indian Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

Safeguarding the heartbeat: Upper Midwest Native Americans protect drumming tradition

July 27, 2024, 6:04am Churches & Religion

At summertime social powwows and spiritual ceremonies throughout the Upper Midwest, Native Americans are gathering around singers seated at big, resonant drums to dance, celebrate and connect with their ancestral culture. Read story