Dear reader,
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With gratitude, Holly Meyer Religion News Editor |
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By Holly Meyer and David Crary |
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By Holly Meyer and David Crary |
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Greetings, World of Faith readers,
This week, we highlight local communities trying to solve the United States’ social isolation problem and tell you about the new archbishop of New York as well as a faith-based revival happening in Hollywood. |
Family, friends, and supporters gather for the Beef Bash 2025 tasting event at the Berry Center in New Castle, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) |
Bit by bit, small US groups chip away at historic levels of social isolation |
Americans are disconnected from each other at historic levels, buffeted by what a former surgeon general calls an “epidemic of loneliness.” In cities and towns around the U.S., some groups are working to reconnect their communities. They range from cattle farmers supporting each other in Kentucky to neighbors along a Baltimore street committed to helping each other and hosting festivals, summer camps and food giveaways. Read more.
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Americans are less likely to join civic groups, unions and churches than in recent generations. They have fewer friends, are less trusting of each other and less likely to hang out in a local bar or coffee shop, recent polling indicates.
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A 2023 report by then Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said isolation and loneliness are risk factors for several major health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, and premature mortality.
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Scholars and activists cite various potential causes – and effects – of disconnection. They range from worsening political polarization to destructive economic forces to rat-race schedules to pervasive social media.
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Pope names fellow Chicagoan, Bishop Ronald Hicks, as new archbishop of New York |
Pope Leo XIV has made his most important U.S. appointment to date, naming a fellow Chicagoan as the next archbishop of New York.
Bishop Ronald Hicks, the current bishop of Joliet, Illinois, replaces the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a prominent conservative figure in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy. Read more. |
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Hicks takes over after Dolan last week finalized plans for a $300 million fund to compensate victims of sexual abuse who sued the archdiocese. Dolan submitted his resignation in February, after turning 75, but the Vatican often waits to make important leadership changes in dioceses if there is lingering abuse litigation.
The handover represents a significant new chapter for the U.S. Catholic Church, which is forging a new era with Leo as the first American pope. Leo and the U.S. hierarchy have already shown willingness to challenge the Trump administration on immigration and other issues, and Hicks is seen as very much a Leo-style bishop.
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Similarly to Leo, who spent 20 years as a missionary in Peru, Hicks worked for five years in El Salvador heading a church-run orphanage program that operated in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries.
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Faith-based entertainment sees a revival in Hollywood. Defining what it is can be a challenge |
Faith-based films are gaining traction in Hollywood, with recent successes sparking renewed interest. Angel’s animated biblical film "David" has already exceeded $14 million in pre-sale tickets. "The Chosen," a popular drama about Jesus, has grossed over $116 million domestically since Fathom Entertainment began releasing it theatrically in 2023. Read more.
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This trend reflects a growing demand for spiritual storytelling, something many say Hollywood has long ignored. But defining what counts as faith-based entertainment can be challenging.
Historically some faith-based entertainment has performed well at the box office – Mel Gibson’s 2004 epic “The Passion of the Christ” was the highest-grossing R-rated film in the U.S. and Canada for two decades. But faith-based hits have been few and far between for most of this century.
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While it’s too soon to tell whether there's been a sea change in Hollywood or if it's a short-term fad, the success of some of these projects has stood out amid an otherwise perilous time in the business. “Hollywood usually follows money,” says Jason Klarman, Fox News Media’s chief digital and marketing officer.
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