Advent Cathedral dean steps down due to ‘tension’ in denomination
Updated May 05, 2021;
Posted May 05, 2021
Cathedral Church of the Advent Dean Andrew Pearson has resigned, and will preach his last sermon on May 16, 2021.
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After more than seven years as the lead priest at the Episcopal Church’s downtown Birmingham cathedral, the dean of Cathedral Church of the Advent is stepping down due to “ongoing tension” within the denomination, a letter to members says.
Dean Andrew Pearson, who has been on the clergy staff since 2011, will preach his last sermon as rector and dean on May 16.
Efforts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful. The church responded with a statement from a staff member who will be serving as interim dean.
Can you still get ashes on Ash Wednesday? On a Q-tip? Sprinkled?
Updated Feb 17, 2021;
Posted Feb 17, 2021
A Catholic priest sprinkles ash on the head of a man during Ash Wednesday rituals Feb. 17, 2021, at the St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines. The parish distributed blessed ashes placed in small sachets to residents who cannot go to church so they can mark themselves and other family members at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus. Ash Wednesday marks the start of lent in this largely Roman Catholic country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)AP
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Easter Sunday will be observed on April 4.
Top 10 Religion stories of 2020: Covid disrupts church, Highlands hosts mass testing
Updated Dec 31, 2020;
Posted Dec 31, 2020
Sampey Memorial Baptist Church in Ramer, Ala., started a campaign this summer promoting Jesus 2020. (Photo by Ashley Remkus/AL.com)
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Organized religion, like many other bulwarks of the nation’s cultural establishment, was shaken to its core and transformed in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic.
That was Alabama’s top religion story of the year. Here are our top 10 religion stories in 2020:
COVID-19 disrupts church, forces worship online
The pandemic emptied sanctuaries and discontinued public in-person gathering for worship in March, even shutting down Easter Sunday. Churches then switched to online video services and many kept that focus through the end of the year as a safety precaution. Others returned by mid-summer and early fall with scaled-back, socially distanced in-person worship services. It was something the nation hadn’t