parishioners

Black parishioners make up half of his congregation, he said.

Churches around the country are focussing on a gospel story of hope defying darkness, but this year with an unusually troubled backdrop, local clergy are hearing frustration from parishioners.

Now the stuff of legend among fans, the scene involves Father Chris demanding to know his parishioners' favourite sandwiches.

The scheme targeted the local Filipino community, including many elderly church parishioners, prosecutors said.

"I imagine it like some organic cathedral with stained glass windows, with the light falling on the parishioners inside," said Johnsen, the senior author and a biology professor at Duke.