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A Message from RE Director, Robby Kiley
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Dear Religious Education Families,
Happy New Year to all of you!
Did you know that Advent marks the beginning of a new Liturgical Year in our Church? Our old year ended with the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King (full name: Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - cool!). Our new year begins on November 27, with the celebration of the First Sunday of Advent.
We will welcome this new year by giving you some tips and tools for celebrating Advent with your family, including: an introduction to the Advent wreath and ways to use it in prayer, a message from Fr. Bill about Advent and our new church, a calendar of events for Advent, and more. We've also dusted off and updated Eve Finnessy's article from last year with some ideas for celebrating Advent as a family.
We hope you find something to help you celebrate this new Church year!
Robby
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While many shopping malls have already begun their Christmas displays and pricing specials, as Catholics, we recognize that Christmas does not begin until December 25. The Christmas season actually lasts for over two weeks, concluding with the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord (celebrated this year on Monday, January 9). Fr. Bill will surely remind us to keep the Christmas spirit alive in our homes until the season is over - but also to make sure not to skip over the season of Advent in our rush to get to Christmas!
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 There are a few items that appear in most Catholic homes every Advent season. This is the time that some families break out their crèches, in anticipation of laying the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas day. Other families purchase Advent calendars - some with opportunities for prayer throughout the season, and some with (more appealingly to small children) candy or toys hidden behind calendar boxes. But the most prevalent symbol we see in Catholic homes and churches during the Advent season is the Advent wreath. In order to help deepen your family celebration, we thought it might be useful to explore the symbolism found in the Advent wreath and share ways that it can be a source of prayer.
READ MORE
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A Message from Father Bill
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 As we have watched the exterior of our new church come to completion, we cannot see the many workers pushing inside the church to complete the many tasks before Bishop Rhoades dedicates the new church on March 25, 2017, at noon. We will feel the effects of this construction after we celebrate the last Mass in our present church on January 9, 2017. The workers will begin the process of transforming the old church into a gathering area, Baptismal Font, and meeting rooms. We will celebrate weekend Masses in both gyms for three months and will have to deal with the results of limited space for all our activities; however, we can endure the waiting, because our waiting will come to an end with a beautiful new church that will seat almost twice as many people as our new church.
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The Religious Education website is a one-stop shop for all things RE:
The Religious Education calendar is available on the website through Google Calendars. This calendar is updated in real time to reflect changes in dates, school closings, and more.
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| Celebrate Advent with Your Family |
Looking for a creative way to celebrate Advent as a family? Click HERE or the image above for ideas for family prayer, devotions, activities, and more!
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Sunday, November 27
First Sunday of Advent
Tuesday, Nov. 29, 7pm
Advent Lessons & Carols
Sunday, December 4
Second Sunday of Advent
Tuesday, December 6
Feast of Saint Nicholas
Tuesday, December 6
7:00 p.m.
Parish Reconciliation Service
Thursday, December 8
Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation)
Gaudete Sunday
December 11
Third Sunday of Advent
Monday, December 12
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Tuesday, December 13
Feast of Saint Lucy
Sunday, December 18
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Saturday, Dec. 24
Christmas Eve
Sunday, Dec. 25
Christmas
(Holy Day of Obligation) |
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