This penitential season of Advent is a perfect opportunity to take stock of our lives.

Mario J. Paredes, CEO of SOMOS Community Care in New York, is the recipient of Catholic Extension Society’s 2025 New York Spirit of Francis Award in recognition of his yearslong commitment to “safeguarding the health and well-being of countless families in need.”

The Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis was often filled with laughter and loud, excited talk as thousands of teens made their way back and forth through its wide hallways during the National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 20-22.

Although the ancient city of Nicaea lies in ruins and the geographic center of Christianity has shifted West, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders gathered at an archaeological site in Turkey to celebrate the enduring faith set out in the Nicene Creed.

Meeting leaders of Turkey’s small and varied Catholic communities, Pope Leo XIV asked them to embrace their “littleness” as they strive to be a leaven of God’s love in Turkish society.