With gang violence on the rise, residents in the city’s deadliest neighborhoods try to steer teens in a better direction.
Judith Valente
Judith Valente, a regular contributor to NPR and "Religion and Ethics Newsweekly," is a journalist, poet and essayist. She is the author of Atchison Blue: A Search for Silence, a Spiritual Home and a Living Faith, named best spirituality book in paperback for 2014 by the Catholic Press Association and one of the three best spirituality books by Religion Newswriters Association. Her book, The Art of Pausing, was runner up for the Catholic Press Association book award in 2014.
Ms. Valente began her work as a staff reporter for The Washington Post. She later joined the staff of The Wall Street Journal, reporting from that paper's Chicago and London bureaus. She was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, first in the public service category as part of a team of reporters at The Dallas Times Herald in the 1980s. In 1993, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer in the feature writing category for her front page article in The Wall Street Journal chronicling the story of a religiously conservative father caring for his son dying of AIDS.
Posted inDispatches
Can we talk—without anger? Advice for a calm, constructive election season from the author of Thoughts Matter
Anger is no longer episodic, erupting from time to time, but now it’s rising to the level of needing police intervention.
Posted inDispatches
Jesuit missionary recalls Tim Kaine’s mission work in Honduras
“As you pursue your own goals, you see always on the horizon the plight of the less fortunate, the plight of the marginalized. I saw that working in him.”
Posted inDispatches
Benedictine sister who taught Mike Pence hopes he will ‘soften’ Trump
Sister Bierman has this advice for Pence: Tone down the rhetoric about Hillary Clinton.
Posted inDispatches
Women say they are ready for the diaconate–if the church is
“I think this would be an opportunity for more women in ministry to come together with their male peers in a really holistic, beautiful way.”
Posted inDispatches
Nuns on the Bus remind the national conventions about the needs of the poor
The sisters represent “Pope Francis” voters on a tour through 13 states.
Posted inSigns Of the Times
When two communities sit down together after the Orlando shooting
For most of the Muslims, it was the first time they had stepped inside a Christian church.
Posted inDispatches
Children’s questions for Francis from around the world
“It’s like being in the room with him and listening in to a very special conversation. It’s him; it’s the real man coming through loud and clear.”
Posted inDispatches
Schools: the next big arena for the transgender debate
It is likely only a matter of time before the debate over transgender rights arises in Catholic schools.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
With gratitude for two life lessons from Dan Berrigan, separated by decades
Father Berrigan’s quote reminded me to make my mark based on hard work and decency—through a commitment to do my best, rather than a hunger to get ahead.