Glide Memorial Church

At Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco the congegation have been building a ‘church without walls’ since the 1960′s: In 1963, winds of change were blowing mightily through San Francisco. Nowhere were these forces of transformation more visible than at Glide Memorial United Methodist Church. That year, a young African-American minister named Cecil Williams came [...]

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Cremation Story

Burning of the dead is an ancient practice which persists in many cultures; European cremation urns can be seen in museums and columbariums, dating beyond the end of the Roman Empire. Cremation was common at that time but not within the Jewish faith and for the early Christians, who were culturally Jewish. In Islam, human interference with the body of the deceased was traditionally strictly forbidden, and though [...]

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A Parish for the Deaf, San Francisco

St Benedict Parish in San Francisco meets the community needs of two groups- Japanese Catholics and the deaf. All services are in American Sign Language and two years ago Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate was established to train deaf priests and minister in sign language. This is largely a result of the work of deaf priest Father Thomas J. [...]

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