St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe

St. Juan Diego, Feast day December 9, icon from Monastery Icons

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Feast day, December 12, this image hangs in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of life and the patron of the Americas

Here are two books that you and your family may enjoy reading to learn more about St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe's apparitions to him in 1531. The booklet on the left is for adults and the book on the right is for children. Below is a DVD that your children will love. These are only three of the many excellent resources to learn about the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

What Does It Mean to Celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas?

December 6 is the feast day of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children! Did you know that St. Nicholas is the original gift bringer to children? Many think it is Santa Claus, but they are mistaken. It is St. Nicholas, the fourth century bishop of Myra.

What does it mean to celebrate? To celebrate means to honor a person or an event. On December 6th, we honor St. Nicholas for his holy life and the virtues he exemplifies, especially generosity toward the poor and love of children. Those are great reasons to celebrate! We celebrate the many actions he took on behalf of those in need, and we celebrate his love for children, who depend on adults to love and care for them. St. Nicholas loved and protected children. He delighted in bringing gifts to them. A wonderful website, www.stnicholascenter.org has much to offer in explaining the history of St. Nicholas and providing many free resources and also items to purchase. I encourage you to explore this website, if you aren't familiar with it.

Recipe can be found in Celebrating Advent and Christmas with
Children, page 21

The feast of St. Nicholas is a wonderful day to share treats with friends. Here are some St. Nicholas cookies we made and decorated with St. Nicholas papers. Below are more ideas for St. Nicholas day treats, and at the end is my very favorite St. Nicholas day prayer.

Besides sharing treats with your friends, you might imitate St. Nicholas by collecting items from your school friends, home school community or parish for those in need.Things like mittens, scarves, gloves and hygiene items can make a big difference for a person who is on a very limited budget.

Recipe can be found in Celebrating Advent and Christmas
with Children, page 32

Recipe can be found in Celebrating Advent and Christmas
with Children, page 30

PRAYER TO ST. NICHOLAS

Heavenly Father, as Christmas draws near we commemorate the feast day of your beloved Bishop and Saint, Nicholas. We love and honor his memory because of his tender concern for children and the poor. We thank you for the merriment that his feast has brought down all the centuries. We ask you from the bottom of our hearts to  help us to remember on this, his feast day, that we should try to retain the innocence of childhood and a sincere faith in you all our lives. Show us, too, how to share the good things that we have with others, and to imitate St. Nicholas in generosity and goodwill. We ask him to pray for us from his place in heaven. 

Advent is here

 It is time to prepare. Advent is here! Advent begins Saturday, December 2 at the vigil Mass. Here are a few ideas to help  engage your children and grandchildren in this beautiful season of preparation.

The Advent Wreath can be bought or one can be made. Light it once a week on Sunday evening or every evening at dinner time. Bless the wreath first with Holy Water, then light one purple candle on the First Sunday of Advent. Say a short prayer. The link for the Advent prayers is included here. On the Second Sunday of Advent light two purple candles and say the prayers. On the Third Sunday of Advent light the two purple candles and the one rose candle and pray. On the Fourth Sunday of Advent light all the candles and say the prayers. Christmas is almost here and all the lights are blazing! On Christmas Day, you can change the candles to red or green and add a white candle in the center to represent the Christ Child. https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-year/advent/prayers/prayer-for-lighting-the-advent-wreath-candles

The Advent Calendar is a wonderful way to keep children engaged, young and not so young, as they await the birth of Jesus. There are a variety of calendars to choose among, from the simple to the classical. They begin on December 1st and end on December 25th with the birth of Jesus. Each day the child opens one of the windows on the calendar. Some calendars have pictures, others have Scriptural verses inside the windows. Don't worry if you haven't bought one yet. I have never met a child who minded "catching up"opening extra windows!

Books are a favorite in our household. There are wonderful books on the saints of Advent: St. Nicholas, the Immaculate Conception, St. Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucy and more. Not to mention the stories of wonderful Advent customs from around the Catholic world, and fictional stories that entertain and offer a lesson.

potterwonderfullife.blogspot.ca

The Jesse Tree can be bought or made. Like the Advent Calendar it begins on December 1, and it ends on December 24. It offers the family who follows its daily Scriptural reading, a journey recalling Old Testament salvation history and the promise by God to send a Savior to restore mankind after the fall of Adam and Eve. It is a true preparation for the fulfillment of God's promise in the celebration of the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. Here is a link to the symbols of the Jesse Tree with a free download to color. http://www.holyheroes.com/Jesse-Tree-s/82.htm?Click=35875&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4Njt7J7q1wIVXVcNCh0zHgKWEAEYAiAAEgKL1_D_BwE
For the Scriptural verses and a history of the Jesse Tree go to, https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=545

Wishing you and your family a blessed Advent.