A Journey Through NYC Religions, says editor and publisher Tony Carnes, “has made me more free to listen to people. And that may sound like a small thing, but it’s actually pretty big.”

“Hymnody touches people so much because most people learn hymns when they are children, and then it reminds them of something...Hymns that represent this ideal of the afterlife—that’s the world I love.”

The disabled, says religion writer Mark Pinsky, “are not just people who need help, but they are people who can help."

“The theology of Rome, the authority of Rome—that was appealing to us,” says Father Mark Lewis of St. Luke’s Parish, the first US Episcopal church to join the Catholic Church under new Vatican rules.

“When you are reciting the Quran you feel like you are talking to Allah,” says Quran reciter Sheikh Mohammad Alraee. During Ramadan he has been chanting the Quran from memory at the Islamic Center of Northern Virginia.

Two United Church of Christ pastors have written a book about their experiences in the ministry and their work as pastoral leaders.

"This haggadah is trying to draw in as many people as possible to participate in the service," says artist Mark Podwal, who describes his illustrations for the text of a contemporary haggadah called "Sharing the Journey.". "For me," says Podwal, "my art is prayer."

"For symbols related to spring...I have flowers growing out of a menorah. I have the fruits of Israel. I have two pomegranates with Torah shields...so that each pomegranate is a mini-Torah."

"We live by the work of our hands and also have some left for helping out those who are maybe less fortunate," says the abbess of St. Mary's, Ireland's only Cistercian monastery for women.

From generation to generation, adults and children have reenacted the story of the birth of Jesus to convey the message of Christmas.