For 25 years, Bill Petten has been involved with Edmonton's Christmas Hamper Drive.

On Dec. 16, Petten, 74, along with dozens of other volunteers of all ages and genders, came down to the gym of St. Francis of Assisi School to fill nearly 2,000 food hampers that were distributed to the needy across Edmonton the following day.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict has formally recognized a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, paving the way for the canonization of the 17th century "Lily of the Mohawks."

Blessed Kateri is the young Indian maiden who, despite objections from some in her own clan, came to know and love Christ.

SPRUCE GROVE – Sunday school children at Holy Trinity Parish once again reminded parishioners, and themselves, that Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season.

That's the title of their annual 15-minute Nativity play that takes the congregation through the saga of Jesus' birth in the stable of a Bethlehem inn.

OTTAWA – Bishop Raymond Lahey is not a pedophile and poses a next to zero chance of offending sexually or violently against children, a forensic psychiatrist told the court during a sentencing hearing Dec. 19.

Dr. John Bradford, who examined Lahey and put him through a battery of tests, described him as a homosexual with an addiction to Internet pornography.

CALGARY – Many groups of Anglicans have been asking Pope Benedict if they could become Roman Catholic but still maintain their 500-year Anglican traditions, such as liturgy, music and the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.

In November 2009, the Holy See responded to these requests by establishing a new structure that allows Anglicans to become Catholics.

VANCOUVER – Every December Evelyn Florendo plays Santa Claus to detained youth at the Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre.

Florendo, a four-foot, 11-inch octogenarian dynamo, has a compassionate heart for boys and girls who have run afoul of the law.

EDMONTON – Francophone Catholics in the west end find themselves homeless again after losing the chapel they have been leasing since their own church went up in flames 45 years ago.

Since Oct. 19, the 150 families of Ste-Anne Parish have been worshipping in the gym of Ecole Notre-Dame, 15425-91 Ave. They will remain there until they find a church willing to house them.

In a sitting room where lace doilies top every table, Jesuit Father Robert Taft's grey sweater and wooden cane add to the impression that he's a refined retired professor.

But then he shared what he believes is the line his former students quote most: "There are two things you do not do alone: liturgy and sex."

ROME – Pope Benedict told inmates at a Rome prison that people say nasty things about him, too, but it's important to remember that there are other people ready to offer their love and support.

During a visit Dec. 18 to Rome's Rebibbia prison, the pope gave a short speech and then responded to questions from six of the inmates gathered in the prison's Church of Our Father.

TORONTO – Shocking, shameful poverty among Canada's native people goes far beyond the remote northern Ontario community of Attiwapiskat.

Native poverty is walking the streets and crowding the basement apartments of Canada's largest cities, according to a new report by St. Michael's Hospital researcher Dr. Janet Smylie.