For one week in January, the National Cathedral in Washington, DC removed the thousands of chairs normally in the cathedral’s nave and hosted a number of events, including two nights of free choral concerts. Attendees were able to listen to the music while standing, sitting, or roaming through the emptiness of the cathedral. R&E was at the cathedral on January 15 for a concert called “The Spirit in Flight,” performed by Cathedra. Watch excerpts, including our interview with the National Cathedral’s director of music, Michael McCarthy. Interview by Missy Daniel. Edited by Fred Yi and Missy Daniel. Video by Murray Pinczuk, Lauren Talley, and Fred Yi.
Author Archives: Fred Yi
Jordan’s Syrian Refugees, Inoculation Ethics
The mobilization of faith-based groups—Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox, Mennonite, and more—in Jordan to aid Syrian refugees; and the growing number of parents who refuse vaccines for their children.
Jordan’s Syrian Refugees
Almost two and a half million Syrians have fled their country in what the United Nations has called the “greatest humanitarian catastrophe of modern times.” Faith-based groups—Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox, Mennonite, and more—in Jordan, home of the largest Syrian refugee camp, are doing what they can to help. “Behind each of these wonderful people is a life that is completely disrupted. We see God in all of these people. We see that these are brothers and sisters like us,” says Catholic Relief Services president Carolyn Woo.
Faith-based Groups Working with Syrian Refugees in Jordan:
Jordan Refugees Backstory
Correspondent Kim Lawton and producer Patti Jette talk about their experience reporting on the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan.
Inoculation Ethics
In most states, parents can choose not to vaccinate their children based on a personal or religious objection. It’s a choice that has begun raising concerns about the ethics of refusal and the rising risk of outbreaks.
Camden Priest, Social Entrepreneurship in the Philippines
Father Michael Doyle and his ministry to the poor in Camden, New Jersey; and economist Antonio Meloto’s campaign to fight poverty in his country.
Camden Priest
According to Father Michael Doyle, crime and poverty in Camden, New Jersey are worse today than when he first arrived there 39 years ago. But through his church’s ministry of feeding, housing, and educating the poor, Father Doyle sees hope for what the FBI considers the most dangerous city in America. “We’re working against the odds, but I think God is on our side,” he says.
Social Entrepreneurship in the Philippines
To lift the Philippines out of poverty, economist Antonio Meloto believes the next generation of Filipinos needs to create jobs at home rather than seeking jobs abroad.
Typhoon Faith, Tu B’Shevat, Jews and Humor
Prayer and recovery in the Philippines after Typhoon Hayaan; a Jewish celebration of trees; and the importance of humor in Jewish culture through centuries of persecution.
Typhoon Faith
Months after super typhoon Hayaan destroyed large parts of the Philippines, many survivors say prayer got them through the storm and the difficult times afterwards. “The comment that I have heard is that God can send the cyclone here because the Filipino people are so strong that we can overcome even a storm this strong,” says Catholic Relief Services emergency coordinator Elizabeth Tromans.
