TORONTO – Nick Beckett is an impressive young man in his third year at the University of Toronto working towards a criminology degree. As he makes his way through exams, he’s also heading up a new non-profit which aims to provide a home and transitional programs to young people who age out of the child welfare system.

JERUSALEM – For the first time in 200 years, experts have begun a restoration of the Edicule of the Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was laid to rest after His crucifixion.

Creationist Christian tourists may soon flock to the Ark Encounter, a literal vision of Noah’s story in Genesis come to life in July as a theology-packed tourist attraction in Williamstown, Ky.

TORONTO – Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s next book will be about death. 

Five years ago the popular newspaper columnist, book author, theologian and university administrator was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was caught early. A six-month round of chemotherapy seemed to knock it out. But two years ago it came back. Now there are chemo pills every day and check-ups every six months.

ROME – Because most people today do not understand that sacramental marriage really is a bond that binds them to each other for life, many marriages today can be considered invalid, Pope Francis said.

HALIFAX – Size doesn’t really matter. That’s the hymn book Fr. James Mallon sings from and one of the principles he pushed at a two-day Divine Renovation conference that attracted more than 600 people from 11 countries to his city and his church in mid-June.

“Size is a relative thing, it depends on who you are standing beside,” said the slight, 5-foot-7, 164-pound priestly dynamo.

TORONTO – St. Anthony of Padua is known as the miracle worker saint. Many people ask for his intercession for the loss of material things, but also for loss of peace of mind or sense of direction. Those who seek his help are never lost, forgotten or left behind.

GLENMOORE, Pa. – The way Sister Rita Cameron sees it, her grandchildren didn't lose a grandmother when she became a sister. They gained 106 great-aunts.

VATICAN CITY – Recognizing St. Mary Magdalene's role as the first to witness Christ's resurrection and as a "true and authentic evangelizer," Pope Francis raised the July 22 memorial of St. Mary Magdalene to a feast on the Church's liturgical calendar, the Vatican announced. 

Revolution was once a bad word — even The Beatles were against it. But ever since the late Steve Jobs got hold of it and applied it to every new gadget to come off the Apple assembly line, the word has lost its threat and most of its meaning.