Stocks, bonds and mutual funds make great gifts — just ask the parishioners at St. Patrick’s in downtown Toronto.

While Pope Francis and countless thousands of Catholics flock to Portugal this week to celebrate one of the most famous Marian devotions in the world, a little piece of Fatima can be found in the Archdiocese of Toronto.

MANILA, Philippines – As the body count rises in the Philippines' war on drugs, a Catholic priest is trying to create a space where healing takes precedence over killing.

WASHINGTON– The driving force behind Catholics' search for a new parish is location – most likely how close it is to their new home.

It can be easy to feel lost and lonely in church; and that’s twice as lost and lonely as anywhere else.

THORNHILL, ONT. – A suburban Toronto parish community is not sitting idly by as assisted suicide makes its way to becoming the law of the land.

Retired lawyer Bob Doherty has no illusions about becoming fluent in Arabic but he’s taking a language course at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax in order to ease the transition for the Syrian refugee family his parish will soon welcome.

VATICAN CITY - Embracing Pope Francis' request to sponsor a refugee family, the Vatican's St. Anne parish has welcomed a family of four from Damascus, Syria.

THORNHILL, Ont. - The Philippines received relief aid from around the world when Typhoon Haiyan hit the country’s shores almost two years ago. But for Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos, it was one Canadian parish that stands out for having left a particular impact on his community.

A recently launched capital campaign at St. Malachy’s Church on Prince Edward Island is getting a helping hand from outside the parish community.

It’s summertime and the living is easy. Regular schedules are abandoned as day trips, vacations and relaxation provide respite from the everyday humdrum. In our churches, the pews that appeared to be sparsely occupied in fall, winter and spring seem to be even more vacated in the summer heat. Open the doors and where’s the people, we might ask.

OTTAWA - Parish renewal is the key to the new evangelization and the survival of the Church, say organizers of the Summer Institute of New Evangelization.

TORONTO - After 123 years the Basilian Fathers are moving on from Toronto’s Holy Rosary parish. But “as one door closes, another one opens,” said Basilian general superior Fr. George Smith.

LEBRET, Sask. - The glory days of the big stone church at Lebret were decades ago when it was the focal point of a thriving Roman Catholic mission in the heart of the Qu’Appelle Valley northeast of Regina. But Sacred Heart Church is back in the spotlight this year as the oldest Catholic parish in southern Saskatchewan celebrates its 150th anniversary.