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Mass is said at the altar by the grotto inside the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. The site is believed to be the childhood home of Mary. Below, the altar inside the Grotto of the Annunciation, believed to be the childhood home of Mary, which is located on the lower level of the Church of the Annunciation.

There’s just that feeling about the Church of the Annunciation

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NAZARETH - After visiting the Church of the Annunciation in the town where Mary and Joseph raised Jesus, Eugenia Chapman will never view Christmas the same.

Church of the Nativity restoration is like touching history

Church of the Nativity restoration is like touching history

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BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK - Helping restore the roof of the Church of the Nativity is like touching a piece of the beginning of Christian history, said an Italian restorer who is heading work on the first phase of the long-awaited repairs.

A father and his daughter take away a Christmas tree from a tree farm in Anoka, Minn. A real tree is better for the environment than an artificial one, according to the Green Church.

Wishing you a Green Christmas

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Wish yourself a Green Christmas this holiday season by staying eco-friendly. The Green Church, a program of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism, has provided a list of ideas to decrease waste and reduce your carbon footprint this Christmas season.

Jomalaine Mae Cinense, 13, a Grade 8 student at St. Anne Catholic School in Brampton, Ont.

Young artists show off their talent in Christmas contest

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Despite receiving over 500 entries in our third annual children’s Christmas drawing contest, selecting a winner didn’t require the wisdom of three wise men. The entry of Jomalaine Mae Cinense was so impressive we put it on the cover.

The Israeli security wall is supplemented by barbed wire near Bethlehem in the West Bank.

Tear down the wall

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What would Jesus think of His birthplace today?

Ayat Sand, 21, a Palestinian with an intellectual disability, holds a Nativity set made from felted wool from Bethlehem sheep at the Ma’an lil-Hayat in Bethlehem, West Bank.

Christmas provides work at Bethlehem’s L’Arche

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BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK - Activity was in full swing at the Ma’an lil-Hayat workshop as 16 adults shaped felted wool into round balls for a large order of sheep to fill people’s Nativity scenes.

Fr. Joe Peña, Roman Catholic chaplain at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

Airport chaplaincy provides solace for travellers, workers alike

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TORONTO - Since Bradley Jacobson started flying a Boeing 737 more than a decade ago, he spends about 75 per cent of the Christmas season away from his family in Alberta.

Street Patrol organizer Lucio Abbruzzese stands in front of St. Patrick’s Church in Toronto, the meeting place for Christmas Street Patrol.

Christmas Street Patrol transmits joy, one smile at a time

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TORONTO - This Christmas, many homeless won’t be visiting their families.

This glass Joy Nativity is one of 250 crèches in Linda Miller’s collection that she has on display in a room in her Wainwright home.

The house of many crèches

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WAINWRIGHT, ALTA. - While some people have an exercise or a theatre room in their homes, Linda Miller has a special room in her Wainwright home dedicated to her vast and growing collection of crèches.

An artisan from a group called Sacred Mark in Bangladesh makes soap, which Ten Thousand Villages sells in Canada. Benefitting victims of the Bangladesh sex trade, Sacred Mark is part of a rehabilitation program to train these women and offer the possibility of a new life.

Giving a gift with meaning

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With Christmas around the corner, hasty shopping decisions can lead to purchasing presents void of meaning. If you still have loved ones to buy for, consider these five socially responsible places to buy Christmas gifts that will make a difference.

Fr. Gregory Ace, pastor of St. Padre Pio parish in Kleinburg, Ont., stands with part of his 1,300-strong crèche collection. It is becoming so large that Ace is looking for a new home for his collection.

Fr. Ace’s crèche collection carries on family tradition

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KLEINBURG, ONT. - Fr. Gregory Ace has crèches from more countries than he doesn’t. His collection of 1,300 (or so) Nativity scenes includes examples from 120 countries. He’s got about 80 more to go.

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