Calls for peace seem to ring hollow as we enter into a new year.

The Gospel story of Jesus visiting the home of Martha and Mary is not scheduled until mid-summer in the liturgical calendar, but the Catholic Women’s League in Calgary was not waiting until then to contemplate this Scripture passage.

The Halton Catholic District School Board’s Welcome Centre, Settlement Services team is helping newcomer students to Canada unleash their creative voice and muscles this Yuletide season.

Christmas obligations may appear to be a bit more confusing than usual this year, especially with a shortened Advent (the fourth week of Advent is only one day long) and Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday. 

Pope Francis, in his Dec. 10 Angelus address, advised the faithful that disconnecting from media and social media, “the pollution of vain words and chatter,” has become not just a fioretti, a little spiritual sacrifice, but an essential element of the modern, Christian life.

With the Christmas season now in full effect, it’s important to note that the holiday can often be looked at with a certain degree of ambivalence. For most, it’s a time of celebration and reverence amplified by the presence of loved ones. But for others, it can be a very emotionally challenging and lonely time of year.

St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal is home to not only the heart of St. Brother André Bessette but also to a collection of close to 1,000 crèches gathered from every corner of the world.

The winter chill of December welcomed my first season of Advent in Toronto. My first Christmas away from home. Away from all those Christmas traditions I’d grown to love.

With the predictability of the liturgical year, the church hall of St. Willibrord Church in Verdun, Que., is for the first weeks of December a hive of excited preparation as volunteers fill boxes with food and toys for over 200 local families.

Adrian Horvath has been designing postage stamps for Canada Post for years, including work on the famed Star Trek series of stamps the post office issued in 2016 and 2017.