One Family, Under God

Story/Video posted May 6, 2016 in Best of CommMedia by Gabrielle Chappel.


So a priest and an orthodox Jewish family end up at Penn State…this may sound like the beginning of a soap opera, but in reality, it is the final line to a long tale of how two people created a family through their religious journeys.

Since 2013 Sarah Vigon has worked with Jewish students at Penn State, but her journey began in California, a secular Jew at the time, when she decided to quite literally take a leap of faith and become orthodox. This required a few sacrifices, and a lot of moving.

Father Matthew Laffey did not become a priest until late in life. After a series of life events, including picking out furniture, he knew that what would make him truly happy was not within a traditional marriage.
“Religion is not a bandaid”, but for some, it creates a family.

By the numbers
 

Catholics nearly make up a quarter of religious Americans, where Jews only make up less than two percent.
The number of Catholic priests and nuns have steadily decreased over the years, while the number of parishes remains nearly the same
The number of practicing Jews over the years has steadily increased

Orthodox Jews only make up ten-percent of those who identify as Jewish
The number of Orthodox Jews that are below the age of 49 is significantly higher than that of alternative practices
 

(This story was originally published as part of the Kith & Kin project)

Tagged in:

family , kith & kin , religion

About the Contributors

Gabrielle Chappel's photo

Gabrielle Chappel

Junior / Broadcast Journalism and Spanish

Gabrielle is an aspiring sports reporter with a passion for storytelling. She is currently a contributor for ESPNU, as well as a host and guest producer of 46 LIVE -a student produced webcast of the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (otherwise known as THON).