内容摘要：Trees removed from prairies will be used as logjams for creeks to create habitat for frogs, fish and turtles.

Trees removed from prairies will be used as logjams for creeks to create habitat for frogs, fish and turtles.

In interviews with The Associated Press, Hidden Christians spoke of a deep communal bond stemming from a time when a lapse could doom a practitioner or their neighbors.Hidden Christians were forced to hide all visible signs of their religion after the 1614 ban on Christianity and the expulsion of foreign missionaries. Households took turns hiding precious ritual objects and hosting the secret services that celebrated both faith and persistence.

Masatsugu Tanimoto, from left, Yoshitaka Oishi and Yoshinori Yamamoto chant Orasho, recitation of Latin chants, in the Ikitsuki Island Museum “Shima no Yakata” at Ikitsuki Island in Hirado, southern Japan, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)Masatsugu Tanimoto, from left, Yoshitaka Oishi and Yoshinori Yamamoto chant Orasho, recitation of Latin chants, in the Ikitsuki Island Museum “Shima no Yakata” at Ikitsuki Island in Hirado, southern Japan, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)This still happens today, with the observance of rituals unchanged since the 16th century.

The group leader in the Ikitsuki area is called Oji, which means father or elderly man in Japanese. Members take turns in the role, presiding over baptisms, funerals and ceremonies for New Year, Christmas and local festivals.Different communities worship different icons and have different ways of performing the rituals.

In Sotome, for instance, people prayed to a statue of what they called Maria Kannon, a genderless Bodhisattva of mercy, as a substitute for Mary.

In Ibaragi, where about 18,000 residents embraced Christianity in the 1580s, a lacquer bowl with a cross painted on it, a statue of the crucified Christ and an ivory statue of Mary were found hidden in what was called “a box not to be opened.”Hajj is about endurance, humility, mindfulness and struggle. A willingness to let go of negative emotions.

It’s a test of your spiritual connection with God, even when everything around you is testing that connection.Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s

with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.HAMLET, N.C. (AP) — Amazon plans to invest $10 billion toward building a campus in North Carolina to expand its cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure, bringing a massive shot in the arm to a region where many textile and apparel jobs dried up a generation ago.