Religion – Page 26 –

Notre Dame players celebrate beating Villanova in Rome on Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Villanova had Pope Leo’s support, but Notre Dame wins both games in Rome: ‘Once-in-a-lifetime experience’

By Andrew Dampf

November 1, 2026 at 2:43 p.m.

Villanova had the pope’s support and many more traveling fans. Notre Dame prevailed on the...

Christ United Methodist Church in Rockford member Mark West holds his necklace before church services on Sept. 27, 2026. The necklace was crafted from broken stained glass after a fire in February. "It gives me a connection to the church and to God. It shows that something that is broken can be resurrected," he said. (Ryan Rayburn/for the baiduhai)

A stained glass window of the crucifixion was shattered in a church fire. Worshippers transformed the broken pieces into symbols of renewal.

By Angie Leventis Lourgos

November 1, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

After a stained glass window of the crucifixion was destroyed in a church fire, worshippers...

(From right) Villanova basketball player Jasmine Bascoe along with Villanova President Peter M. Donohue presents Pope Leo XIV with a basketball in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on Oct. 31, 2026, during an audience with some 7,000 university representatives ahead of the Eternal City Tip-Off, a men’s and women’s college basketball doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo tells Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams that he is neutral, but ‘Prevost has another opinion’

By Andrew Dampf

October 31, 2026 at 8:26 a.m.

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday told the basketball teams from his alma mater, Villanova, and...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago on Sept. 30, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon and Chicago-based presidential candidate, dies at 84

By Bob Goldsborough

February 17, 2026 at 7:04 p.m.

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the Chicago-based Baptist minister, political figure and two-time presidential candidate, has...

Wayne Antusas, who was wrongfully convicted and served 23 years before being exonerated, leads Bible study with inmates in his ministry at Westville Correctional Facility in Westville, Indiana, Jan. 21, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

‘A remarkable human being’: Wayne Antusas is back in prison by choice, ministering to inmates

By Amy Lavalley

February 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Five years after being released from an Illinois prison, Wayne Antusas shares his faith with...

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen greets an admirer outside Holy Name Cathedral on Aug. 24, 1965, in Chicago. Bishop Sheen, of New York City, was attending the installation of Cardinal John Cody as the head of the Chicago Archdiocese. (baiduhai historical photo)

A path to sainthood: Famed evangelist, TV host Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be the first beatified Illinois native

By Angie Leventis Lourgos

February 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Catholic faithful continued to be touched by Fulton Sheen’s words and legacy for decades after...

The Rev. Daniel Sather, left, and the Rev. Steve Hoerger lead a service at New Hope United Church of Christ. The church merged Oak Lawn's Pilgrim Faith United Church of Christ and Salem United Church of Christ Jan. 18, 2026. (Steve Hoerger)

Prayer vigil denouncing ICE actions planned for Oak Lawn’s New Hope United Church of Christ

By Olivia Stevens

February 11, 2026 at 1:34 p.m.

New Hope United Church of Christ plans a prayer vigil Sunday to raise awareness of...

Pope Benedict XVI waves from the altar as he arrives on St Peter's square for his last weekly audience at the Vatican.

Today in History: Pope Benedict XVI announces resignation

By Associated Press

February 11, 2026 at 4:00 a.m.

On Feb. 11, 2013, during a routine morning meeting of Vatican cardinals, Pope Benedict XVI...

Alicia Ferro picks up her third grader and kindergartener from St. Jerome Catholic School in Chicago’s Armour Square neighborhood on Jan. 30, 2026. The Archdiocese of Chicago announced that the school will be closing at the end of the school year. Ferro and her father are graduates of St. Jerome. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Parents push back on school closures after archdiocese says time to mobilize has passed: ‘We were blindsided’

By Hope Moses

February 10, 2026 at 6:18 a.m.

The Archdiocese of Chicago's plans to shutter St. Jerome and Sts. Bruno and Richard has...

FILE – This Oct. 26, 1966 file photo shows Bishop Fulton J. Sheen in his office at the Propagation of Faith in New York. (AP Photo/Eddie Adams, file)

Vatican again OKs beatification of Illinois native Archbishop Fulton Sheen

By Nicole Winfield

February 9, 2026 at 10:30 a.m.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification can now take place in Peoria as originally planned, the Peoria...

Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks laughs during a news conference at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Ronald Hicks, former bishop of Joliet and the next Catholic archbishop of New York, seeks ‘a church that builds bridges’

By Associated Press

February 6, 2026 at 1:22 p.m.

Ronald Hicks is set to be installed Friday as the 11th archbishop of New York...

Pope Leo XIV arrives to preside over Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on the Cathilic feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope, an avid athlete, extols physical and spiritual benefits of sport in Olympic message

By Nicole Winfield

February 6, 2026 at 6:25 a.m.

Pope Leo XIV, an avid tennis player and sports fan, marked the start of the...

Faith leaders gather in a church in Minnesota to prepare for participating in protest action on Jan. 22, 2026. (Julie Van Til)

Flossmoor pastor recounts ‘ground-level good’ in Minneapolis on interfaith protest mission

By Evy Lewis

January 29, 2026 at 1:58 p.m.

The Rev. Julie Van Til joined more than 600 religious leaders who travelled to Minneapolis...