Last summer, Kyle Peralta felt GodöÏÓãÊÓƵapp power moving within him during his time with Franciscan LEAD.

JERICHO, West Bank – Ahmed Za'atreh's love affair with photography began last year, when a relative came back from a trip abroad and gave him a camera. The 15-year-old focused his lens on the brown-hued desert mountains and valleys surrounding Jericho and began taking pictures.

SONSONATE, El Salvador – In 1977, when Franciscan Father Flavian Mucci found himself away from home, he decided to host Christmas dinner for the homeless in a rural zone of El Salvador. It was a meal the young friar would never forget.

VATICAN CITY – The superiors of the four main branches of the Franciscan friars formally asked Pope Francis for permission to allow their communities to elect brothers to positions of leadership in their communities.

ASSISI, Italy – Religious leaders celebrating the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II's Assisi interfaith peace gathering in 1986 called on people from around the world to continue its legacy to combat today's indifference and violence.

The names of saints will no longer grace a dozen Midwestern hospitals in the United States.

QUEBEC CITY – Canada owes him the return of the Franciscans, the founding of the country's largest Marian sanctuary, and the development of strong and lasting ties between the French Canadians and the Holy Land. Yet, 100 years after his death and though he might become Canada's next saint, Blessed Frederic Janssoone still remains largely unknown to many people in Quebec.

SHKODER, Albania – Human bones, old shoes and deteriorating priest collars fill cardboard boxes in the office of Franciscan Brother Vincenzo Foca, an Italian who lives and works in Shkoder.

JERUSALEM – The Holy See has approved the election of Franciscan Father Francesco Patton as the new "custos" of the Holy Land, replacing Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who held the position for 12 years.

It is not surprising that the youth who participate in Franciscan LEAD are taking the next steps in living out their vocation. These youth already have a deep faith and the LEAD program encourages them to continue to say yes to GodöÏÓãÊÓƵapp call in their lives.