The church of St. Agnes was a haven of stillness at 9 p.m., its ancient walls bathed in the faint glow of candlelight. Sister Beatrice, 26, knelt in the alcove beneath the stage, her rosary beads cool against her fingers. She’d been a nun since 19, her life a tapestry of prayer and discipline, untouched by the world’s temptations. The alcove, a hidden nook for private devotion, was her sanctuary tonight, its air heavy wit...

Katherine Sullivan, 36, was the heart of her Ohio suburb, a woman whose presence felt like a soft hymn in a quiet church. Her blonde curls were always swept into a neat bun, her blue eyes gleaming behind wire-rimmed glasses, and her smile a steady beacon at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, where she led the choir with a voice that could hush a restless congregation. Clad in floral dresses, a silver cross necklace resting...

The university library was a maze of dusty tomes and dim corners, the kind of place where secrets could hide in plain sight. It was late, the stacks deserted, the only sound the faint hum of fluorescent lights. Nour, a 22-year-old Lebanese beauty, sat at a secluded table, her modest hijab framing a face that could stop traffic—full lips, dark almond eyes, a quiet grace that screamed tradition. Her long skirt and loose blo...