Jonathan M. Pitts
Jonathan M. Pitts writes about religion, sports, music, medicine and the military – and anything else that touches on the human spirit -- for the Baltimore Sun. Since joining the paper in 1999, he has covered oyster shuckers and opera singers, Deadheads and D-Day vets, sauerkraut and the Scriptures and more, always seeking the enduring in the everyday. The co-author of Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog’s memoir, “You’re Missin’ a Great Game,” he’s a native of St. Louis and a graduate of Haverford College and the University of Missouri School of Journalism
Recent Articles
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Here are some community Passover seders in Baltimore that offer a 'home away from home' for the holiday
As Passover begins on Friday evening, observant Jews around the world will celebrate the advent of the holiday in the traditional way — by sitting down to enjoy a seder, or ritual feast, with family members and close friends at home. But not everyone has the luxury of being at home, which is one...
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The Super Bowl of sermons: Baltimore preachers bring their best to the pulpit for Easter
Three days after Jesus was killed, Scriptures say, his follower Mary Magdalene went to his tomb only to see, to her horror, that his body was gone. Then she noticed someone standing nearby, a man she didn’t recognize. She figured he must be the gardener. Only when he spoke did she realize he was...
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Hikers and bikers get in motion as trail season opens in Baltimore
Paul Bender moved to Baltimore three years ago but had never had an opportunity to try his fully equipped mountain bike on city trails. He chose a good time to do it Saturday. The sky was resplendently sunny as Bender, a 27-year-old civil engineer who lives in Pikesville, became one of more than...
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West African religions like Ifa and Vodou are on the rise in Maryland, as practitioners connect with roots
They gathered in a clearing by a stream in Baltimore County one chilly early-spring day, some in the colorful African head ties known as geles, others wearing bracelets trimmed in shells or carved in wood. One by one, they stepped forward to toss offerings into the Gwynns Falls – a pineapple, four...
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Baltimore-area Muslims call for goodwill, a strengthening of faith after New Zealand attack
The leader of Baltimore’s largest mosque urged an overflow crowd to show patience and kindness to everyone around them — and to continue, as always, to reach out and help anyone in need — in response to the Friday morning massacre that took the lives of 49 Muslims in two New Zealand mosques. Sheikh...
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Former Baltimore bishop barred from ministering in Catholic archdiocese after allegations of sexual misconduct
The leader of Baltimore’s half-million Catholics has disciplined a former bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore over allegations of sexual misconduct with a young adult more than a decade ago. Archbishop William Lori announced Monday that Bishop Gordon Bennett, who served as an auxiliary bishop...
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Methodists seek unity after church's vote to keep ban on LGBTQ clergy, same-sex marriage
The leader of the area’s nearly 170,000 United Methodists urged followers to remain united, and hopeful, in the wake of the denomination’s vote to keep its long-standing bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage — a decision that threatens to split the worldwide church. Bishop LaTrelle Miller...
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Backers pitch bill that would create statewide commission on Maryland's lynching history
Supporters of legislation that would create a commission to explore and address Maryland’s lynching history made their case to state lawmakers Tuesday, the latest step in a grassroots movement that appears to be gaining momentum. The bill’s chief sponsor, Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, had the backing...