Have Faith: Sharing the faith
It's not easy being a parent and it's not easy getting your children to go to church once they reach a certain age. When they're little, you can take them along almost anywhere with...
Have Faith: Surviving and thriving
The Little Children of Mary, a faith-based local organization whose mission is to work for peace however they can and to support those in need, are hosting a special speaker this month at the...
Have Faith: Saying goodbye, for now
Being a priest isn't like being a dentist. Dentists can retire someday, stop pulling teeth and looking at X-rays. Priests, on the other hand, are committed to being a priest for life. They may...
Have Faith: Waiting on God
My patience went out the window a long time ago, and I'm still waiting for its unlikely return. I think my whole family might be waiting. It gets especially difficult this time of year,...
Have Faith: New youth and children’s pastor
Oh, I remember it well: Getting three kids dressed for church by myself and walking literally next door to St. Anne's Church in Parish, N.Y., on Sunday mornings. It wasn't far to go, but...
Have Faith: Pentecost Sunday
When I first started writing this column, I thought about how awesome it would be to learn more about other religions as I wrote it. I still have a lot to learn about other...
Have Faith: Easter at the Tabernacle
I can't begin to find all the words needed to describe how great it was to gather at the Tabernacle on Easter Sunday afternoon for the combined service with Grace Episcopal Church and St....
Have Faith: Easter and Passover
It's that time of year, when I ask Island clergy about Passover and Easter services. It's also that time of year when they're probably busiest.
The Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center offers a special Zoom program,...
Have Faith: Time to try meditation
Have you ever had a conversation with people who meditate on a regular basis? I have and I have to say, we don't always see eye to eye. Seems like every time I want...
Have Faith: Hello, my old friend
When you grow up Catholic, Lent is a very big deal. And when you're a child, it's an even bigger deal, because you can't imagine giving up bubble gum, candy bars, or teasing your...
Have Faith: A new shepherd
Anytime I can take a drive up-Island to Aquinnah I do it. Usually it's when we have visitors and they want to see the sights, but it's even better when I head up that...
Have Faith: Deep listening
In the days after the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, it seemed a good idea to gather with and listen to what some Islanders were feeling and thinking, so I joined the...
Have Faith: After COVID
There are many things to miss these days, and we've all likely lamented them in one form or another. Before COVID, and before I became an editor at The Times, I was able to...
Have Faith: New year, new hope
Dear Readers: I’ve decided to re-run the column I wrote last year. I find it bittersweet after what 2020 turned out to be.
When I was a kid, we celebrated the new year with dancing...
Have Faith: Taking care
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and...
Have Faith: Principles in politics
They say never discuss religion or politics at a dinner party, but what about when the two topics seem inextricably connected? We've been debating this ever since the country was formed. Thomas Jefferson encouraged...
Have Faith: Sharing the faith
This pandemic has forced us into new ways of doing things — working from home and communicating on Zoom, wearing masks and standing six feet apart, in some cases staying home when we’d normally...
Have Faith: Words and meanings
I must've had four or five people text me or message me on Facebook all at the same time about Pope Francis' pronounced position on same-sex civil unions last week. “Go Francis!” was the...
Have Faith: Flexibility is the key
When the coronavirus hit, many folks missed a lot more than visiting family and friends; they missed gathering with their church and synagogue family as well. Island faith communities learned how to pivot to...
Have Faith: ‘Walking Together Apart’
It was apparent when the coronavirus hit that Islanders who ordinarily wouldn't visit the Food Pantry, Family to Family, or M.V. Food Baskets were lined up in their cars to accept food donations. All...