Arts & Entertainment

Faith leaders react to new ‘Unholy’ movie

By |

UNHOLY: The content and timing of a new film released on Good Friday is upsetting some people of faith in Michigan. The trailer for “Unholy” shows at statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding from her eyes, the main character of the movie performing a miracle by healing a parapalegic and a crucifix burning on the altar of a Roman Catholic church. The director says the film is respectful of religion. Two Catholic priests from East Lansing and the director of MSU’s Muslim Studies Program comment. For news and religion/faith sections. By Elaine Mallon. FOR ALL POINTS.

News

Observing Ramadan in prisons challenging, former inmates say

By |

PRISON RAMADAN: Some Muslim prisoners find it difficult to observe the daytime fasting requirement of the holy month of Ramadan, which starts April 13. Two ex-inmates describe their experience. We also hear from the Corrections Department, the directors of MSU’s Muslim Studies Program and Civil Rights Clinic. By Brandon Chew. FOR COLDWATER, BLISSFIELD, MARQUETTE, IONIA, GREENVILLE, SAUL STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS, DETROIT, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.

News

Grandville pastor uses video sermons, email Bible studies to keep congregation together

By |

Courtesy of Grandville United Methodist ChurchGrandville United Methodist Church in Grandville, Michigan. If Christian churches can be boiled down to one steadfast purpose, it’s keeping the faith and spreading the word of God. When the COVID-19 pandemic halted the world and life as we know it, keeping the faith became more difficult, as thousands died from the virus, and spreading the word simply became harder to do without face-to-face interaction. But one pastor, in a small church, in a small town in Michigan, wouldn’t take no for an answer in either facet. 

“This is something that most people of any age have not faced in their lifetime,” said Rev. Ryan Wieland of Grandville United Methodist Church. “People are stressed and overwhelmed.

Religion

Pope reaffirms ban on female ordination; Catholic women divided

By |

Debrah MiszakLansing Diocese director of consecrated vocations Dawn Hausmann with an image of Pope John Paul II. Considered a saint by the church, he established the “theology of the body,” which states that people have different roles to play in the world according to their biological sex. As American women grapple with their role in society during  a Democratic primary which has featured a record number of female candidates, American Catholic women are struggling with their position in the church. In February, the Vatican released a document summarizing the 2019 Amazon synod — a meeting of bishops and stakeholders in that region. The document did not provide a final answer on the synod’s hottest topics: the ordination of women to serve as deacons and the ordination of mature, married men to the priesthood.

Diversity Issues

Women religious set 2020 social justice priorities

By |

LANSING — While the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops garners much attention as the leading voice of the church in the U.S., the Leadership Council of Women Religious — which represents 35,000 Catholic sisters — is also working on a number of social justice issues. The council holds political power, as sisters take part in legal advocacy and activism which can influence lay Catholics across the country. The council, which is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, is composed of leadership from 300 congregations. As such, it represents 80% of women religious, a term that refers to Catholic sisters, across the country. In the past 40 years, the Council has become much more active both on issues in the institutional Church and in American society.