Sandi Villarreal's News Clips

Medill News Service

By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published March 6, 2008

*Picked up by the Daily Herald. Click here for that version.

On Sunday afternoon, Trita Parsi stood at the pulpit in the chapel of St. Pauls United Church of Christ in Lincoln Park and gave churchgoers the history of U.S.-Iran relations. Parsi, president of the National Iranian-American Council, was lecturing on avoiding war with Iran and strongly advocating diplomacy.

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By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published January 29, 2008

*Picked up by Chicago Journal. Click here for that version.

For the second time, Adalberto United Methodist Church in Humboldt Park is in the middle of the immigration debate after offering sanctuary to an illegal immigrant.

Flor Crisostomo, who left her three children in Mexico seven years ago to seek better wages, was arrested in a 2006 raid at IFCO Systems on the Chicago's South Side. She was supposed to report for deportation Monday. Instead, she asked the church for help.

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In a culture of choice, nearly half of Americans have changed religions

By Sandi Villarreal and Elizabeth Tenety, Originally published February 26, 2008

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has news for you: You are not alone.

Forty-four percent of adult Americans have switched religions at least once in their lifetime, according to a new comprehensive religion study on religious affiliation in the United States.

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By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published January 31, 2008

Choosing among the presidential candidates can be daunting for all Americans. But for some, there is more at stake: their faith.

In "Faithful Citizenship," a voting guide for parishioners, U.S. Catholic bishops urge voting with a well-formed conscience and to refrain from voting for candidates who support an "intrinsic evil" such as abortion, euthanasia and harvesting of embryonic stem cells.

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By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published January 30, 2008

Who would Jesus vote for?

When Christian magazine Relevant asked its young evangelical readers that question, it spawned an interesting response: Barack Obama beat out Baptist minister Mike Huckabee, 28 percent to 24 percent.

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By Sandi Villarreal and Erica L. Green, Originally published June 16, 2008

On Thanksgiving Day 2004, William McCarthy had a hard time finding much to be thankful for. As in years past, he could have reflected on his loving family, his successful company--his happiness.

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By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published February 26, 2008

A group of about 15 anti-war protesters barely fit inside the small lobby of U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel's Chicago office Friday. They arrived armed with four dozen white roses, 8-by-10 photographs of Americans and Iraqis killed during the war, and loud voices.

Their message: stop funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Debate over 'Good Friday prayer' addressed

By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published September February 27, 2008

In light of the recent strain between the Jewish and Catholic faiths, both Chicago Archbishop Francis Cardinal George and Catholic-Jewish studies expert Dr. Eugene Fischer on Tuesday night called on members of both religions to continue their interfaith dialogues.

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By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published February 13, 2008

Some call it a celebration of female empowerment; others say it’s crass and immodest. But "The Vagina Monologues" continues to find a home on Catholic college campuses each year, especially around Valentine's Day.

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By Sandi Villarreal and Elizabeth Tenety, Originally published January 16, 2008

Wearing sackcloth, a small group of protesters read a prayer, then placed stacks of paper listing American and Iraqis who have died in the current conflict. Then, they rubbed the ashes from the fire on the each other's foreheads, calling it their sign of repentance.

The war protesters, all members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, demonstrated at the Chicago office of U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago) at 3742 W. Irving Park Rd. Emanuel was not present.

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By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published January 22, 2008

Despite wind chill temperatures dipping to minus 9 on Sunday afternoon, about 80 anti-abortion advocates gathered in downtown Chicago for a March for Life sponsored by the city's Catholic archdiocese.

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By Sandi Villarreal, Originally published January 17, 2008

Even before moving to Chicago's North Side last fall, Jennie Kuckertz knew that she wanted to join Loyola University’s Right to Life organization. She is now vice president of the group and is taking her anti-abortion activism to Washington, D.C., this weekend for the annual for Life This year marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

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