The season of Advent follows the Feast of Christ the King and signals the beginning of the liturgical church year. Its position at the beginning of the church year does not, however, indicate that it is the most important season. The Easter cycle holds that distinction.

Advent is a season of preparation, penance, and waiting. We are often so caught up in the secular preparations for Christmas that we forget that we are waiting to celebrate the birth of Christ. However, many of our traditional preparations do help us to prepare for the coming of the Christ Child.

The Advent Wreath is made of evergreen branches and four candles--three purple and one pink. A candle is lit for each Sunday of Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday to symbolize the joy we feel because our time of waiting is nearly over. As the weeks of Advent pass, we progress from the darkness to the light as more candles are lit until all four candles are finally shining brightly.

Families can use the Advent Wreath in their homes to reinforce the fact that we are waiting for the light of Christ to come into the world. Place your wreath on the dinner table and light the candles as part of your meal time prayer. Or, place the wreath in a place of honor and pray together as a family before bedtime.

Many households include a manger scene as a part of their holiday decorations. A custom that originated in France can help us to strive to become better people during the Advent season. Children (and parents) may add a piece of straw to the crib every night to represent a kind act or service that they did that day.

By the end of Advent the crib will be filled with soft straw and waiting for the Christ Child to be placed there on Christmas. Many of us have beautiful manger sets that are wonderful to look at but do not provide hands on opportunities for children. How about buying (or making) a manger set that the kids can play with and use their imagination to become a part of this special story.

Welcome to the liturgical season of Christmas. While many of us are winding down our activities of the season, in reality, the true celebration is just beginning! The birth of the Christ Child is at hand, and our world moves from the dark into the light.

While the birth of Jesus is celebrated on December 25th, there is no historical significance of that date. It is appropriate that we celebrate the coming of light into the world at its time of greatest darkness. The Julian calendar, developed by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, places the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) on December 25th, so that date was chosen to be the birthday of Jesus.

This is a good time to introduce sacramentals because many of the items we use to decorate our homes for Christmas are just that. Sacramentals include religious signs and symbols, prayers, gestures, rituals, music, and natural or constructed objects, to name a few. Some are found only in official rituals, such as holy oil. Others, such as candles, rosaries, and holy water, are commonly found in homes.

The Christmas tree, originally known as the Paradise Tree, came to us from Germany. It was born out of the tradition of the "mystery play" known as the Paradise play, which told the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The play was performed in or near a church on December 24th, the observed feast day of Adam and Eve. A fir tree decorated with apples was the only prop for the play.

The children loved the trees so much that parents began to put one in their homes, especially when the plays were forbidden because of abuses. Germans also celebrated a festival of lights around the time of the winter solstice. Candles, representing the light of Christ, were placed in a pyramid shape and decorated with evergreens and a Star of Bethlehem on top. Eventually, the two traditions became one and the candles and star were placed on an evergreen tree.

Always an important symbol of the light of Christ, the Christmas Candle is another Christmas sacramental. Some place it in the middle of the Advent Wreath to symbolize that the light of Christ has pushed away the darkness of sin. In some places, the candle is actually three candles wound into one, representing the trinity.

Mistletoe, a favorite decoration at Christmas, is hung in a doorway as an invitation to peace and good will. The pre-Christian Druids had a tradition that when enemies met under the mistletoe they had to lay down their weapons and pledge peace. Therefore, it became a symbol of peace at Christmastime.

Holly symbolizes the crown of thorns with its prickly points, and the red berries symbolize the bloody death of Christ. Mexicans call the poinsettia the "flower of the Holy Night" because it blooms at Christmastime. Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, brought the flowers to the United States where it has become a much loved symbol of Christmas. The flower was eventually named after Dr. Poinsett.

Feast Days of the Christmas Season

Holy Family

Holy Thursday

The celebration begins on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord's Supper. This day commemorates the great mandatum, or call to service, the institution of the eucharist and the prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

Our mass will begin at 7:00 p.m. with readings portrayed by our youth in a "Living Last Supper", followed by washing of the feet. We will close with a Eucharistic procession to the day chapel. Our garden of adoration symbolizes Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gensemane. All are encouraged to come and pray up until midnight. Following the mass, we celebrate with a bread feast. Everyone is invited to bring sweet breads and wine to share with each other in the dining room of our new community center.

First, Jesus washes the feet of the disciples, and the mandatum of Jesus is his command to follow his example and to do as he has done. Many churches wash the feet of 12 men, symbolic of the apostles; others may add women and young people to show the call to serve extends to all ages. We extend the invitation to the entire congregation. This simple and humble ceremony allows all of us to participate in the actions of Jesus and the disciples. It is not about dirty feet or ugly feet, but about humbling ourselves before God and allowing God to touch us even in our uncomfortableness. It may be that, by participating in this simple action of less than 5 seconds, you may find this to be a moving experience and understand why Jesus insisted the disciples follow his example.

Second, Jesus institutes the eucharist, giving his body and blood to his disciples. As we share the consecrated bread and wine, we experience the fullness of Jesus' gift to us of himself. It is important, especially on this night, to receive the host and the cup, in memory of Jesus.

Third, after the meal with the disciples, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. "Could you not watch one hour with me?", he asks his disciples as they fall asleep on him. We have the opportunity to come and pray with Jesus in the garden. Take the opportunity to spend some time in the silence of the Adoration Garden in the Day Chapel. The church will be open for prayer until midnight.

Good Friday

Good Friday, the second day of the Triduum celebration, recalls the death of Jesus on the cross. The Liturgy on this day takes place at the traditional time of 3:00 p.m. The ritual is in three parts--the Liturgy of the Word, veneration of the cross, and communion.

Our liturgy will begin at 1:30 p.m.

This is the one day of the year the Church does not celebrate the Mass. Communion for today is consecrated at the Holy Thursday Mass. The Liturgy of the Word consists of Old and New Testament readings and the reading of the Passion. We then pray together for the needs of the Church and the world in our intercessions.

The second part of the celebration is the veneration of the cross. This is our opportunity to show our respect for the gift of salvation. People will come forward to venerate by genuflecting, touching, or kissing the cross. A collection for the Holy Land will be taken this day.

Finally, we receive the eucharist. We then leave in silence to pray and await the resurrection event.

The Liturgy of Holy Saturday is divided into four parts. The first part is the new fire and light of Christ. A fire is burning brightly and the new Paschal Candle is blessed and lit. All present receive a candle lit from the Paschal Candle. The Easter Proclamation (Exultet) is proclaimed.

Our liturgy will begin at 8:00 p.m. This Mass, although longer than a Sunday Mass, is the most important celebration of the Church Year. It is the highlight and summit of our faith. We encourage all to make an effort to attend this celebration. The richness of its symbols and joy of the celebration are worth the extra time commitment. Please bring the whole family.

The second part is the reading of the Old Testament. A minimum of three readings, maximum of seven readings, will be used. We extinguish our candles and listen to readings that call to mind the stories of creation and the working of God in the lives of the Israelites. We then joyfully sing the Gloria and the Alleluia for the first time since Lent began in preparation for the reading of the gospel.

During the Sacraments of Initiation, the third part of our celebration, Catechumens (those to be baptized) and Candidates (those already baptized, but professing the Catholic faith) are initiated into the church through baptism and/or profession of faith, then confirmation. The entire congregation renews their own baptismal promises. During communion, the Catechumens and Candidates will receive the Eucharist for the first time. We give our prayerful support as a community by praying the Litany of the Saints.

The fourth part of the celebration is the Consecration and Communion. The Mass continues with the presentation of the gifts. The bread and wine are prepared and consecrated for communion. As we celebrate the greatest feast of our faith, we invite and encourage everyone to participate as fully as possible.