We Are Ready for The Advent Season
The children are excited to anticipate and prepare for the Christmas season with Advent. This year Advent started on Sunday, November 27. You can follow the USCCB Advent Calendar for something to do or say on each day. For the first day, you can find a Blessing for the Advent Wreath. The children will notice that the church looks different, since there are now purple banners hanging from the Stations of the Cross, and there is a big wreath in the Sanctuary. On the second week the church received wreaths hanging under the stations of the Cross, which makes the church look more like Christmas. There are four candles on the wreath–three purple and one rose colored. The candles represent the four weeks until Christmas. The first two purple candles are lit for the first two weeks of Advent, then the rose one for the third week. The rose candle is lit to signify the hope of what is to come. The Altar Lamp at the Tabernacle has blue glass instead of red. Our priest (and all Roman Catholic priests throughout the world) is wearing a violet chasuble, which represents the penitential aspect of Advent. “Advent is a preparatory season.” Rose (pink) is used on two days of the year: “Rose may be used, where it is the practice, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent).
The beautiful hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” will be heard and sung throughout Advent.
Full Text Found On Hymnology.org
1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.
Refrain
3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Hear The Tune ~ Hear Latin!
Listen to Handel’s “Messiah”
This is “for Unto Us a Child is Born” which is from the Prophet Isaiah in the Bible.
Messiah Community Sing
Warm up your pipes and join in the “Community Sing!” with the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus Association at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carlsbad on December 11 at 4:00. Kids welcomed. Dazzle them with your vocal skills!
We Celebrate Saint Nicholas Day
On Sunday, December 11th, this year, we’ll celebrate Saint Nicholas Day and honor him in our Sunday School class. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children, seafarers, ships, and people looking for a spouse. He was a poor bishop in Mayra, Turkey during the third century. His name is the inspiration for “Santa Claus,” and the Santa Claus story, since he gave gifts to poor children. We will ask the children to put their shoes outside the classroom so “St. Nicholas” can come and put candy in them. The recommended candy is a candy cane, since it is in the shape of a bishop’s crozier (staff).
Here is a lovely prayer for celebrating Saint Nicholas Day:
Call To Worship
Leader: I will look after my sheep, says the Lord.
All: And I will raise up a shepherd to pasture them.
or
Leader: The Spirit of the Lord was upon him.
All: To bring good news to the poor and to heal the brokenhearted.
Leader: Let us pray.
All powerful God,
you made St. Nicholas a bishop and leader of the church
to inspire your people with his teaching and example.
May we give fitting honor to his memory
and always have the assistance of his prayers.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever—and ever.
All: Amen.
Family Art Idea–Watercolors!
Invite your children to paint with watercolors, with you! They’ll love it. It doesn’t require talent, training, or experience. Just get some good watercolor paper– kids’ brushes and inexpensive watercolors will be fine. It’s a very relaxing activity. One of my retired teacher friends told me when her class was getting restless or rowdy, she’d bring out the watercolors to get them calmed down. It works on me, too!
