Twelve ideas for the December holidays

Posted on November 27th, 2006

Our Lady of Guadalupe

She’s the Queen of Tepeyac, the protector of Mexico, and the patron saint of the Americas. Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast day is Dec. 12, continues to grow a half-millennium after her reported appearance. It has spread throughout the United States – reaching beyond Chicano culture, beyond Roman Catholicism, and even beyond Christianity. The account of the Virgin Mary’s appearances in 1531 in Mexico to a native farmer resonates today among Catholics, Protestants, women’s groups and New Agers who find their own meaning. Guadalupe scholars suggest these fresh angles on this enduring story:

Growing fidelity beyond the Latino community.
New interest by young people.
The Virgin of Guadalupe as multicultural symbol.
Non-Latino Roman Catholics considering the pregnant Guadalupe an emblem for the right-to-life movement.
Protestant congregations paying attention to the feast day.
Women’s groups considering Guadalupe a symbol of feminism.
New Age groups looking at her as a goddess.
Pilgrimages by U.S. citizens to the shrine outside Mexico City.

SOURCES
• Theresa Torres is assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. She studies U.S. Hispanic Catholics, Hispanic women’s religious and civic activism, and immigration/refugee issues. Contact 816-235-1492, torresth@umkc.edu.
• Notre Dame theology professors Timothy M. Matovina and Virgilio P. Elizondo and Loyola Institute for Spirituality Executive Director Allan Figueroa Deck edited The Treasure of Guadalupe (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2006). Contact Matovina at 574-631-3841, tmatovin@nd.edu; Elizondo at 574-631-4741, Virgilio.P.Elizondo.2@nd.edu; and the Rev. Figueroa Deck at 714-997-9587, afdecksj@loyolainstitute.org.
• Jeanette Rodriguez, a professor of theology and religious studies at Seattle University, wrote Our Lady of Guadalupe: Faith and Empowerment Among Mexican-American Women (University of Texas Press, 1994). Contact 206-296-5324, jrodrigu@seattleu.edu.
• The Rev. Gilberto Cavazos-González, a Friar Minor (Franciscan), is associate professor of spirituality and directs the Hispanic ministry program at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. He writes a weekly column on Hispanic/Latino faith traditions. Contact otrebligcg@ctu.edu.
• David Sanchez teaches theological studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He researches Guadalupan studies and iconography. Contact 310-338-5983, sanchez@lmu.edu.
• The Rev. Raúl Gómez Ruiz, a Catholic priest who teaches at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis., can talk about liturgy, worship, language, clergy and popular traditions. Contact 414-529-6977, rgomez@shst.edu.
• Mexico religion historian Eduardo Chávez, who is rector of the Pontifical College of Mexico in Mexico City, wrote Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego: The Historical Evidence (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006). Contact eduardoc44@hotmail.com.
• Monsignor Arturo J. Bañuelas is pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas. He founded and directs the Tepeyac Institute and is nationally known for his expertise on border issues and culture. Bañuelas edited Mestizo Christianity: Theology from the Latino Perspective (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2004). Contact hopie12@msn.com.

BACKGROUND
• Read an undated Arizona Republic article about Mexico’s principal saint.
• Visit the Spanish-language official Web site for the Basilica of Guadalupe, which is just outside Mexico City.
• Read an English translation of the Nican Mopohua, a document written in 1545 about the 1531 Guadalupe event. Read more about the document and about Guadalupe at a Web page maintained by the Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio.
• Read an article about Our Lady of Guadalupe by Catholic Community Forum, which is sponsored by Liturgical Publications of St. Louis Inc.
• Read a Vatican biography of Juan Diego, whom Pope John Paul II canonized in July 2002.
• Read about Sociedades Guadalupanas — Guadalupe Societies – in an article from the University of Texas and the Texas State Historical Association’s Handbook of Texas Online.

Crafting a message for troops

With more than 150,000 troops stationed overseas, a stateside army of volunteers has popped up to provide them with everything from phone cards to body armor. Many donor groups are religiously based, coming out of well-organized ministries, grass-roots efforts among individual congregations, and groups of friends. Quite a few of these groups are sending handmade items – teddy bears, rosaries, prayer beads, cards, food, blankets and more – with the hope that something made by the hand bears more of the spirit of the maker and can form a deeper connection with the receiver. Many of these handmade items also come with a religious message – a CD with a sermon, a booklet with suggested prayers and Bible readings.
• The Right Reverend George E. Packard is the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies for the Episcopal Church. He is in charge of all Episcopal chaplains attached to the armed services. He describes the rosaries, prayer beads and medals soldiers carry into battle as “companion object[s] which God uses to heighten moments of insight, prayer, and sometimes deep sorrow.” Contact 212-716-6202, gpackard@episcopalchurch.org.
• The Prayer Bear Ministry of Sherman, Texas, solicits small donations from people to make simple fabric teddy bears for shipment to servicemen and women at home and abroad. Last year, the ministry sent more than 20,000 bears to Iraq and Afghanistan. Each bear is prayed over as it is made and has a silver tear, to represent the tears of Christ on the cross, and a gold cross, to represent the light of God. The ministry was founded by Terry Krawitz, an Episcopalian, after the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Contact 903-893-4026, prayerbears@prayerbears.org.
• Many chapters of the Prayer Quilt Ministry make small patches of patriotic fabric to send to soldiers overseas. The patches are constructed of patriotic fabric and are held together with ties that are knotted by the makers as they say prayers for the soldiers. Contact Kathy Cueva, president of the Prayer Quilt Ministry, prayerquiltpres@cox.net.
• Some people are making hand-knotted rosaries for distribution to Catholic soldiers. Clo Lillig accepts such rosaries for Rosaries for Soldiers in Carmel, Ind. Catholics in the Military of Fort Royal, Va., collects black hand-knotted rosaries.
• The prayer beads ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bethlehem, Pa., makes Anglican prayer beads for wide distribution, including to soldiers and AIDS hospice workers in Swaziland. Contact Gaby Whittier, 610-867-4741, gaby@trinitybeth.org.
• Soldiers’ Angels offers kits to make “blankets of hope” to send to soldiers overseas. It was founded by Patti Patton-Bader when her eldest son went to Iraq. Contact 615-676-0239, soldiersangels@gmail.com.
• Sew Much Comfort is a volunteer nonprofit group that sews adaptive clothing for veterans who have lost limbs. Seamstresses volunteer from all over the country. Efforts are coordinated by regional contacts. Contact Ginger Dosedel, ginger@sewmuchcomfort.org.
• The Itty-Bitty-Bakery of Richlands, N.C., offers “Mustard Seed Pins” of military figures, each containing a mustard seed. The creator was inspired by Matthew 17:19-20 when her husband was deployed to Iraq. She suggests that purchasers send pins to those deployed overseas as a reminder of their faith. Contact 910-324-4478, admin@itty-bitty-bakery.com.
• The 92nd Street YMHA (Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association) in New York, N.Y., held a “Mitzvah Days” workshop for children ages 5-10 where they constructed tzedakah, or charity, boxes, complete with handmade cards and other items, for soldiers overseas. The project was to be an example of tikkun olam, the Jewish mandate to repair the world. Contact Beverly Greenfield, media relations, 212-415-5452.

Hunger and the holidays

Millions of Americans worry about hunger every day, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or hajj. The December holidays, a time of abundance for many, are a good opportunity to write about the difficult choices faced by hungry families. While needs persist all year long, many people make extra efforts to give more to charity during the holidays, and many organizations offer innovative ways for them to help. Tell stories of finding and filling needs through local families, local food banks and local congregations.
• America’s Second Harvest is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States – a network of food banks and food-rescue groups around the country, many of them faith-based organizations. Second Harvest says its report Hunger in America 2006 is the most comprehensive profile ever produced of people who use emergency food services. Among its findings:

Hunger is on the rise. In 2005, more than 25 million Americans didn’t have enough to eat.
More than a third of those served by the network were children. About 10 percent of the clients were elderly, and 12 percent were homeless.
More than 4 in 10 clients had to choose between buying food and paying for utilities. Some couldn’t both eat and pay the rent or buy the medicine they need.

• Household Food Security in the United States, 2004, is a report prepared for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It found that more than one in 10 households does not have enough food at all times for an active, healthy life for all household members.
• Bread for the World is the largest faith-based advocacy movement against hunger. It posts hunger facts and figures. Contact its president, the Rev. David Beckmann, at 202-639-9400.
• The Society of St. Andrew, an ecumenical Christian ministry, sells Christmas gift cards for $10 each; proceeds are used to provide food for the hungry.
• The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America provides World Hunger Gift Tags, so gift-givers can let a loved one know when a donation has been made in that person’s honor.
• The Hungersite.com store, working with Mercy Corps and America’s Second Harvest, gives a portion of profits to fight world hunger.
• The Heifer Project encourages folks to give a hungry family a cow instead of giving your sister another sweater. Watch a YouTube video from musician Dan Zanes, featuring his song “Holiday Time in Brooklyn!”
• Some people order online from alternative giving markets such as Alternative Gifts International, A Greater Gift or Ten Thousand Villages. Some congregations have started a holiday tradition of sponsoring markets in their towns. Read a Nov. 3, 2006, story from the Nashville Tennessean.

Creating collections

For collectors, Christmas and Hanukkah are prime time: Santa’s sleigh will come full of vintage movie posters or bobble-heads of world leaders, and there will be eight nights on which to score more sports memorabilia. Some critics say such consumerism trumps the spiritual meaning of the season. But for some collectors, the act of gathering objects that hold meaning for them is, in a way, a spiritual act. They arrange their homes with a sense of beauty and connectedness. They surround themselves with reminders of travel and happy times, or with symbols, such as angels, of the things in which they believe. The bowls of rocks and shells on the bookshelf – gathered on the honeymoon, scooped up by the children, spotted on a beach walk with Dad the summer before he died – didn’t cost anything, yet are priceless. December offers an opportunity to explore the meaning behind people’s collections, from the spiritual — crèches and menorahs — to the secular.
• Some set up sacred spaces or altars in their homes – with candles, keepsakes, photographs, a bit of blue glass that seems exactly right – a window, almost, to the divine. Read a Beliefnet.com story about women who set up personal altars in their homes.
• Read an online list of some of what people collect and why – from dog tags to old bricks.
• Russell Belk is a professor of marketing at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. He has done research on the meaning of possessions and is the author of Collecting in a Consumer Society (Routledge, 2001). Contact 801-581-7401, mktrwb@business.utah.edu.
• Marjorie Akin is a research anthropologist working as a consultant in Riverside, Calif. She has written about why people collect – one Smithsonian paper is titled: “Passionate Possessions.” Contact 951-787-0318, Marjorie.akin@ucr.edu or margieakin@hotmail.com.
• Some contend that clearing out clutter – simplifying, paring down – can have spiritual benefits as well. Read an Oct. 3, 2004, story in The Washington Post about how traditions from feng shui to Roman Catholicism teach about the spiritual joys of living with less.

‘Vigilante Volunteers’

The Baby Boom generation is reshaping volunteerism, and it’s a trend that’s easy to report on during the December holidays. Vigilante volunteers, as they are called, are people who go outside traditional nonprofit structures to fill needs they are inspired to address. At churches or nonprofit agencies, they may be frustrated by menial volunteer tasks, a perceived ineffectiveness, or lack of attention to a particular problem. Whatever the case, vigilante volunteers decide to do something, and set out to do it in their own way.

Vigilante volunteers sometimes do tremendous good – but they also can be a tremendous challenge to the hundreds of charities that attempt to harness people’s time and talents during the holiday season. How are religious and secular nonprofits trying to accommodate “vigilante volunteers”? How are volunteers in your community devising their own ways to meet the needs of others?
• Read a March 2005 article from the World Volunteer Web about “vigilante volunteers.”
• For experts and background on volunteerism, see ReligionLink’s Sept. 12, 2005, edition, “Crises highlight the need for volunteer management.”

More menorahs?

Two new surveys of mixed-faith households shed light on the “December dilemma” of two holidays, and that light is coming from a menorah. A demographic study of Boston area Jews done by the Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University shows that a surprising number – 60 percent — of intermarried couples are raising their children Jewish. That figure is almost double the national estimate – one-third — of intermarried families making that choice. Timed for the holidays, the third annual “December dilemma” survey of families done by Interfaithfamily.com, an Internet resource for interfaith families, shows that intermarried households are keeping both holidays, but they are giving priority to the Jewish celebration. The Boston study has implications for other American Jewish communities seeking to promote Jewish spiritual identification and affiliation. The Boston Jewish community has offered diverse programming aimed at keeping people plugged in to the Jewish social network. The study also showed that almost all Jewish women in mixed-faith households raise Jewish children, suggesting that intermarriage adds to the Jewish community. What are the holiday plans of families in your community? What do local congregations say about outreach and programming for intermarried households?

SOURCES
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies commissioned the study of the Boston Jewish community. Barry Shrage is president and Deborah Fineblum Raub is media contact, 617-457-8595.
• Leonard Saxe directs the Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University and was principal investigator of the Boston study. He says the study is cause for optimism about the future of the Jewish community in light of high intermarriage rates. 781-736-3952, saxe@brandeis.edu.
• Read a Nov. 10, 2006 Boston Globe story discussing the study of Jewish intermarried families.
• Edmund Case is president and publisher of Interfaithfamily.com, a resource for interfaith couples that promotes Jewish choices. The organization’s third annual December holidays survey (which will be posted on its home page) showed that more families are planning to observe Hanukkah than Christmas. For these families, Hanukkah is a religious celebration and a Christmas a more secular event. The site offers extensive December holidays resources and an archive of press coverage. Contact Case, 617-581-6805, edc@interfaithfamily.com, or online managing editor Micah Sachs, 617-581-6861, micahs@interfaithfamily.com.
• Rabbi Kerry Olitzky is executive director of the Jewish Outreach Institute in New York and a prolific author on Jewish observances. Contact 212-760-1440.
• Building Jewish Bridges is an outreach program run by the Jewish Community Federation of Greater East Bay in San Francisco for intermarried couples. It provides support for honoring the Jewish tradition. San Francisco also has a higher than average rate of interfaith couples raising Jewish children. Program director is Dawn Kepler, 510-839-2900 ext. 347, dawn@jfed.org.
• The Dovetail Institute for Interfaith Family Resources in Boston, Ky., offers a trove of materials for intermarried families. Mary-Helene Rosenbaum is executive director, 800-530-1596.

Chrismukkah: It’s baaaaack

The faux holiday Chrismukkah is for Jewish-Christian families who solve the holiday dilemma by having them all. First made popular by references in the television show The O.C. in 2003, the pop culture polyglot celebration is the subject of two new books dueling to be definitive. Chrismukkah: The Official Guide to the World’s Most Beloved Holiday by Gersh Kuntzman (Sasquatch Press, 2006) and Chrismukkah: Everything You Need to Know to Celebrate the Hybrid Holiday by Ron Gompertz (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2006) are newly published.

SOURCES
• Ron Gompertz developed www.chrismukkah.com. A partner in an interfaith marriage, he lives in Bozeman, Mont. Read Gompertz’s blog. E-mail ron@chrismukkah.com.
• Romi Neustadt, director of marketing at Oberry | Cavanaugh, also in Bozeman, is helping with publicity. 406-522-8075, rrn@oberrycavanaugh.com.
• Gersh Kuntzman is a columnist and editor of the weekly Brooklyn Papers. Contact 718-834-9350, kuntzman@brooklynpapers.com.

Interfaith greetings

Greeting cards reflect the culture, and the interfaith greeting card has come of age. In fact, some greeting cards have moved beyond interfaith to mere multicultural greetings, such as “May we lift the boundaries that separate us and live in peace.” There are no firm statistics on the number of interfaith families. Jewish groups, concerned about the increasing number of kids who are not being raised Jewish, know that about half of Jews marry spouses who aren’t Jewish. But Christians and Jews also marry Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and people of other faiths, such as Mormons or Unitarian Universalists, which can make for a clash of religious cultures during the holidays. Greeting cards – whether they are printed, e-cards, or make-your-own kits – offer one way to both acknowledge and bridge differences.
• Phil and Elise Okrend are co-founders of MixedBlessing, a company in Raleigh, N.C., that produces interfaith cards, music and other holiday items. The Okrends, both Jewish, also are co-authors of the children’s book Blintzes for Blitzen (MixedBlessing, 1996). Read an Aug. 22, 2005, profile of their company on BusinessWeekOnline. Contact 800-947-4004 or 919-847-7944, mixedblessing@earthlink.net.
• Pet Star cards feature two dogs or cats – one wearing a Santa hat, one a yarmulke.
• Read a Dec. 18, 2005, story from Jewish Life about families that celebrate a blend of Christmas and Hanukkah. Read a Dec. 17, 2004, story from the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix on Chrismukkah cards and how some find that approach offensive.
• The Dovetail Institute for Interfaith Family Resources posts a list of interfaith groups around the country.
• Meetup.com lists interfaith family meet-ups.

Rekindling Hanukkah spirituality

Hanukkah is widely celebrated as a children’s holiday centered on dreidels, latkes and gifts. But it can also be an adult opportunity for rekindling Jewish spirituality. Hanukkah, which begins at sundown on Dec. 15, commemorates an ancient era when many Jews assimilated to prevailing Hellenistic values and practices that conflicted with traditional Jewish teachings and observances. Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, founder and director of the National Jewish Outreach Program, sees a strong parallel to today’s America, with many Jews “living as Hellenists and loving it.” Because Hanukkah celebrates a rededication to Jewish values, Buchwald believes, an adult understanding of the holiday’s deeper meaning can lead to “finding joy and inspiration in Jewish life and practice.”
• The National Jewish Outreach Program offers an educational program called “Chanukah: Rekindling Jewish Spirituality,” which consists of a 40-minute video lecture and materials, free to synagogues, Jewish community centers and other organizations. Contact Larry Greenman, 646-871-0113.
• Read two discussions of the clash between Hellenistic and Jewish values – one by Joel Padowitz and the other by Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky — at aish.com
• Read “Hanukah: Origins,” an article about the holiday’s ancient historical and cultural context.
• The Aleph Institute is organizing Hanukkah packages for Jewish soldiers overseas, which will include a menorah, candles, dreidels and a Hanukkah explanatory booklet. Contact Rabbi Menachem Katz, director of programs, 305-864-5553, mmk@alephinstitute.org.
• Read a description of Hanukkah at Judaism 101.
• See a Sept. 12, 2006, ReligionLink edition on Jewish spirituality.

Was Jesus an illegal immigrant?

The Christmas story is one of such great familiarity that many Christian leaders struggle to present it in a fresh way. One tactic is to remind congregants of the plight of the Holy Family — traveling from Galilee to Bethlehem, then fleeing into Egypt to save the life of the baby Jesus. The point is that Jesus — and Mary and Joseph — would today have been considered refugees, or perhaps illegal immigrants.

This Christmas season, immigration is part of the national conversation. Opinions are divided. Many candidates in November’s midterm elections ran on anti-immigration platforms, and some legislators sought funding to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Yet nearly six in 10 voters, according to exit polls, said most illegal immigrants working in the United States should be offered a chance to apply for legal status rather than be deported. And some of the most sharp-edged anti-immigration candidates lost. At the same time, in Arizona, voters approved a measure to make English the state’s official language, and they also voted to bar illegal immigrants from receiving damages awarded in civil actions and from participating in several state-funded education programs.

Religious communities have made humane immigration reform a priority, led by the Roman Catholic Church, which is bolstered by an influx of Latinos. Leaders cite Jesus’ call in the Gospel of Matthew to “welcome the stranger,” because “what you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me.” But how many of their congregants are behind the leadership? Christmas is a good time to find out.
• See a May 15, 2006, issue of ReligionLink, “Religion informs immigration debate.”

Christmas Eve’s Sunday dilemma

Dec. 24 falls on a Sunday this year, which puts Christmas Eve on Sunday night. That schedule could make for a mighty busy day for pastors who may need to preach both morning and night, and for choir members who have to sing at 8 a.m. and at the late-night Christmas Eve service as well. So what will churches do?

Last year, when Christmas Eve fell on Saturday, some megachurches canceled Sunday morning worship – using the argument that families needed more time at home to celebrate the holiday. (See a Dec. 9, 2005, New York Times story or listen to a Dec. 14, 2005, NPR story.)

This year, some megachurches plan to add services – holding worship on Saturday night and Sunday morning as usual, but adding Sunday night Christmas Eve services as well. Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, for example, is adding Sunday night services at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., will hold 10 Christmas Eve services starting Thursday, Dec. 21 – but will be closed altogether on Christmas Day.

A December 2005 posting on the Web site of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research examined Christmas attendance at churches both big and small – and concluded that attendance often is down at Protestant churches when Christmas falls on Sunday, but that attendance at Catholic and Orthodox services tends to go up. Contact Scott Thumma, a professor of the sociology of religion at the institute, 860-509-9571, sthumma@hardsem.edu.
• What are megachurches in your area planning to do? What do people think of the practice some use of scheduling Christmas Eve services before Dec. 24?
• For some small congregations, wall-to-wall scheduling is too much. Some churches are struggling with how to honor the religious meaning of Christmas – which in some traditions includes Christmas Day services as well – without stressing out the musicians, ushers and church staff. Are there ways to hold meaningful services that are quieter, smaller – or do people insist, at Christmas, that bigger is always better?
• Will pastors preach the same sermon on Sunday morning as Christmas Eve? Lots of people come to church only at Christmas and Easter – so is this a time to scale back or go all-out? Will most people come to church for Sunday morning worship and then come back again for a Christmas Eve service Sunday night?
• What do parishioners want? Some people love the late-night candlelight services. But pastors say few elderly worshippers drive to late-night services. And families with small children might want to skip church on Christmas morning altogether. How do congregations focus on faith and religious meaning while still giving people what they want?
• Is there difference in the plans — or expectations for attendance — for Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches in your area? What, if anything, are congregations planning to do for Christmas Day?

Stories behind hajj

Hajj – Muslims’ sacred pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia – begins on Dec. 29 this year, so reporters interested in writing about the journey should begin now. Because Islam uses a lunar calendar, the date shifts on the calendar. Hajj makes an excellent entry point for reporters who want to write about the lives of ordinary, devout American Muslims. The act of traveling to Mecca and spending five days performing a series of prescribed rituals alongside millions of pilgrims from around the world is the spiritual pinnacle of a Muslim’s life. Believers who are physically and financially able are required to make hajj at least once in a lifetime; it is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Imams suggest these story ideas:
• Before and after: Pilgrims say they reap enormous spiritual rewards from hajj. Interview them before and after their journey to see how they have been shaped by it.
• Children of Abraham: During hajj, Muslims perform rituals that re-enact events in the lives of the prophet Abraham (Muslims call him Ibrahim), Hagar and their son, Ishmael. Christians and Jews know these names from their Scriptures, but the stories differ in the Quran, where Abraham shows his willingness to sacrifice Ishmael – not Isaac, as the Hebrew and Christian Bibles say. Much has been written about how Christianity, Judaism and Islam are the three great Abrahamic faiths; use hajj as an occasion to compare and contrast their views of Abraham.
• Preparations: Preparation for hajj is extensive. The journey costs thousands of dollars, and travelers must obtain visas and travel documents, religious items and spiritual instruction. Several hundred tour companies operate in the United States alone and arrange pilgrims’ accommodations, transportation and, sometimes, religious education. Imams warn that not all tour operators are reliable, so they suggest seeking recommendations before selecting one to interview. Consider attending hajj workshops or classes offered by Islamic centers and mosques in the month before hajj begins.
• Follow a pilgrim’s progress: By early autumn, if not long before, pilgrims must have planned their journey, so begin next summer if you intend to find a story subject to follow through the entire process. There’s still time now to write about pilgrims who will leave in early December. A Muslim from your city may be willing to contribute a journal or blog from abroad.

SOURCES
Don’t be surprised if some of your well-intentioned questions are politely rebuffed. Asking a Muslim how many times she or he has made hajj, for example, can put him on the spot. Humility and modesty are highly regarded; a Muslim may feel embarrassed if asked to discuss spiritual efforts.
• Imam Tahir Anwar, spiritual leader and director of Silicon Valley’s South Bay Islamic Association, leads tours and conducts workshops in San Jose, Calif., and has reported for CNN on hajj. For background, read his online article, “Do you intend to go for Hajj?” Contact 408-768-4661, Imamtahir@yahoo.com.
• Muzammil Siddiqi chairs the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California and leads hajj workshops in Garden Grove, Calif. Contact 714-531-1722.
• Imam Zaid Shakir is a scholar who can discuss hajj, its rituals and history. He has a master’s degree in political science, received classical scholarly training in the Muslim world and is considered a leader in the American Muslim tradition. Contact him at the Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, Calif., 510-582-1979.
• Consult hajj how-to guides at the South Bay Islamic Association site.
• Contact the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia for background information and for detailed hajj requirements and guidelines.
• Coping with crowds is one of the demanding aspects of the hajj. The Grand Mosque of Mecca alone can contain 1.9 million people at a time. Deaths by trampling have occurred. Learn about hajj crowd dynamics. Read a Feb. 6, 2006, letter in which the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California urges Saudi Arabia to adopt safety measures to prevent trampling of pilgrims at the hajj.
• Consult a travel company’s glossary of hajj terms.