Second Week of Advent

Welcome to the second week of Advent! This week, we light the second purple candle symbolizing peace. We think of ways to create peace at home, at school, at work, and everywhere we go. We think of ways to create peace in the world around us, even in places we have never been. We think of how to create peace in our hearts and our minds. What can you do this Advent season to create peace?


I also want to share two resources with you.

http://www.loyolapress.com/liturgical-year-advent.htm 
The first one is a great website with ideas for activities, reflections, and calendars. Although it is a week and a bit late, I do recommend checking out the calendar. There is a printable version and an online version for kids and adults with reflections for each day. There is also a section with some Advent prayers you can say as a family during this season and some short video clips about great works of art and Advent for those interested in art history.

http://www.catholicicing.com/the-reason-for-the-season-challenge-are-you-ready-for-it/

The second link is an article published on one of my favourite blogs for art and activities for kids throughout the year (The graphic above comes from the website as well). It talks about balancing the commercialism of Christmas with the Holy celebration of Advent and the birth of Jesus. The author is a mom of young children and shares her ideas for celebrating Santa, Rudolph, the Elf on the Shelf, etc. without forgetting about the 'reason for the season.' While you are on her site, check out some of the other posts as well as she has some great crafts and activities to do with children of different ages.

FINALLY, we celebrated two special days in the past week! December 6th was the Feast of Saint Nicholas and December 8th was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (celebrating the conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus). This is a great time to learn about the Saint Nicholas and Mary, so take a peek online and see what kind of stories, songs, or activities you can find and share them with your kids.

Have a great second week of Advent!

Alyssa

Mother Teresa Quotes on Advent

Are we ready to receive Him? Before the birth of Jesus, his parents asked for a simple dwelling place, but there was none. If Mary and Joseph were looking for a home for Jesus, would they choose … your heart, and all it holds?
Let us pray that we shall be able to welcome Jesus at Christmas not in the cold manger of a selfish heart, but in a heart full of love, compassion, joy and peace, a heart warm with love for one another.
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The First Week of Advent

Welcome to the first week of Advent! As we enter this busy time of the year, I encourage you to take some time to away from the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, baking, and tying things up at work and school to really focus on preparing for the birth of Jesus. Take some time as a family and think of things you can do to get ready for Jesus' Birthday. At children's liturgy, we talked about all the things we do to prepare for our Christmas guests--setting the table, cooking, buying presents, doing laundry, cleaning the house, writing cards, etc. But, what do we do to get ready for Jesus? We spend so much time getting ready the big Christmas dinner or Christmas morning and forget about the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Every day that you spend preparing for Christmas guests, Christmas dinner, or Christmas gifts, take some time to also prepare for the birth of Jesus. Pray as a family. Create your own meaningful Advent calendar. Listen to faithful Christmas music. Write letters to Jesus. Create your own nativity scene. Go see a play or movie about the nativity. Write a family Christmas prayer. Think of an Advent goodwill project to do as a family. For those of you who love pinterest as much as I do, take a peek at all the other ideas out there as well. This is a busy time, but it is also a beautiful and joyous time. As you begin your Advent journey, here is a great video that speaks to many of us at this time of year. Enjoy!

Christ the King

Hello everyone!

It was great to see everyone this past Sunday for the enrollment Mass. I hope your children felt very special as they were welcomed into the parish community as candidates for First Reconciliation and First Communion!


This past Sunday, we also celebrated 'Christ the King' Sunday. At children's liturgy, we made crowns to celebrate. We also made the connection that if Christ is the King, and we are all sons and daughters of God, then we are all princes and princesses! But, what does it mean to be a prince or princess in the Kingdom of God? Does it mean we get a to live in a mansion and ride around in fancy cars? Do we get our own ponies, or nintendos, or iphones, or whatever the most expensive and sought after toy is of the time? Not entirely. Talk to you child about what they think it means to be princes and princesses of the Kingdom of God. A position in royalty also brings great responsibility. We follow the King, meaning we follow Jesus. As the Kings and Queens of England sends their sons and daughters out into their kingdom, the commonwealth, to visit the people, to do their work, to celebrate important events, to bring hope to the sick and suffering, so does Christ the King. We are sent by God to do His work, to feed those who are hungry, bring a drink to those who are thirsty, provide shelter to the homeless, give clothes to the naked, to welcome strangers and visit the sick and suffering. As we heard in the Gospel this past week, we are called to do these things for our neighbours, no matter who they are. After all, if we can call ourselves princes and princesses because we are sons and daughters of the King of heaven and earth, then shouldn't our  neighbours be able do the same? Imagine the difference we could make if we treated each and every person we encountered with the same respect, the same attention, the same kindness, the same generosity, the same love, as we would treat a prince or a princess. Imagine the difference we could make if we treated ourselves with the same respect, attention, kindness, generosity, and love, that we reserve for princes and princesses.

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Soundtracks for the Week: 

Audio Adrenaline "Kings & Queens"

Matthew West "Hello, My Name Is" (Child of the One True King)

Enrollment Mass: Sunday @ 10:30 am

Hello!

Just a reminder that the Enrollment Mass for the children celebrating First Reconciliation and First Communion will be this Sunday, November 23 at the 10:30 am Mass. The children and their families will be welcomed into the parish community and our faith journey will truly begin. This will take place during the regular Sunday Mass at the Church, so the children will still have the opportunity to attend Children's Liturgy on Sunday.

Also, please remember to forward this message on (as well as a reminder to register online!) to any friends or family whose children will also be celebrating the Sacraments this year but have not yet signed up. AND remember to send me your child's baptismal certificate if you have not already done so.

Have a great weekend! See you Sunday!

Alyssa

Extra November tidbits...

Hello everyone,

I would like to share with you a fun idea I came across while searching for Children's Liturgy ideas. I wish I found it earlier as it would have been great with All Souls Day at the beginning of the month, but all of November is dedicated to remembering deceased loved ones, so it would still work. If you can find a tall prayer candle (or any tall one with a tall glass jar), you can use a sharpie to write the names of those loved ones you will be praying for throughout the month. Every time the candle is lit, you will be reminded to pray those loved ones. It would be a great addition to a prayer table or shelf in your house and help the kids visualize who they are praying for.

I found the idea on pinterest but the original idea comes from http://familyatthefootofthecross.blogspot.ca/2012/10/all-souls-family-prayer-candle.html.

ALSO, a reminder of the Welcoming Mass coming up November 23rd (Next Sunday) at 10:30 a.m. This is a wonderful opportunity for the kids to see the congregation, the very people that will be praying for them throughout the year, as well as a great opportunity for the congregation to see the kids and families they will be praying for. This Mass always reminds me that this Sacramental journey is not just a matter of getting all the kids to do their Sacraments, and not just a special time for you and your kids, but a special celebration for the whole community as the kids grow in faith as individuals, as a part of your family, and as a very important part of the parish community. 

If you have any questions about this Mass, please do not hesitate to ask! 

Alyssa

Thanks for Registering & A Great Article

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a great time trick-or-treating with the kids last week and are enjoying the cool November weather. Thank you everyone who has already registered their child(ren) for the Sacraments this year and handed in their baptismal certificates! It helps us a lot to have all the info early on and that way we can spend more time preparing for the Sacraments rather than hunting down info. If you have not registered yet, I encourage you to do so soon. Also, if you know someone who is going to participate in this year's faith journey but has not yet registered or received any information, please feel free to pass along the blog link and share the handout information with them as well so they can join us as soon as possible.

In the meantime, here is a great article about children at Mass. The author really has a beautiful message about the presence of children at Mass and in our community and what a blessing it is to be surrounded by so many young ones. Hope you enjoy it!

http://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com/2013/01/14/how-my-kids-didnt-ruin-mass/

See you on Sunday!
Alyssa

Welcome! Please register your child for First Reconciliation and First Communion here!

Welcome to the First Communion and First Reconciliation Sacramental Journey blog for 2014-2015! We are looking forward to working with you and your child during this exciting year.

To register your child for these Sacraments, 

please follow the link or use the QR code 

on your smartphone or tablet.

http://goo.gl/forms/wE7bvGajaA