Santa Claus makes an early appearance . . .

203 cardinals from 70 countries

VANCOUVER - Ivan Henry is a member of an exclusive club, but it's a club nobody wants to join: Canadians who have served time in prison for crimes they didn't commit. more . . .

EDMONTON — Roger Rouleau is now a priest. Archbishop Richard Smith ordained the 34-year-old St. Albert man before a packed St. Joseph’s Basilica Dec. 3.

Several members of Rouleau’s family and most of the priests and deacons of the archdiocese were present for the ordination, the fourth this year. more . . .

CALGARY - A year ago, Pope Benedict invited traditionalist Anglicans to return to the fold of Roman Catholicism. Calgary's St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church is the first parish in Canada to accept his offer.

The 70-member congregation held meetings for 10 months, conducted research, prayed, and discerned about the decision. A vote was held Nov. 21, with 90 per cent in favour of rejoining the Catholic Church. more . . .

Water is a human right yet millions of people in the developing world lack access to it. That’s in large part because the big corporations that control the water systems in many developing countries have turned water into a commodity, laments Sara Michel, interim regional animator of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP). more . . .

EDMONTON — Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph were told that there was no room for them in the inn, and so they took refuge in a stable until Jesus was born.

About 2,400 homeless men, women and children in Edmonton face a similar dire situation, with nowhere to live and hundreds of them camping outdoors in the river valley. more . . .

CALGARY — Dr. Lucy Miller, chief superintendent of the Calgary Catholic School District, is this year’s winner of one of Alberta’s most prestigious honours for public service.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence is presented annually by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC), an organization dedicated to excellence in the public service. more . . .

EDMONTON — The Knights of Columbus of St. Basil’s Ukrainian Catholic Parish commemorated the Holodomor — the forced famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in the early 1930s — by feeding elementary students at St. Bernadette Catholic School Dec. 1.

“What we are trying to do is have the kids understand hunger and what it might have been like to be hungry back then,” explained Maurice Chichak, the council’s grand knight. more . . .

LONDON — Catholic actor Liam Neeson said he thinks the magical lion of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series not only represents Christ but also symbolizes other great spiritual leaders. more . . .