December Newsletter
Important Dates
4 - Advent Lessons and Carols
11 - St. Lucy’s Day (children participating in procession and Evensong service)
18 - Carols, Christingles, and S’mores by the fire
24 - Christmas Eve
25 - The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Sunday Morning Formation Continues
Every Sunday, 10:15-10:45am
Every Sunday, we have formation between the 9am and 11am masses for all of our children. PreK-3rd Grade meets in classroom C2, while 4th-5th Grade meets in classroom C1.
Each Sunday, the children go to three different stations around the room: Prayer, Liturgy, and Scripture where they learn something new through activities, lessons, prayers, or visual aids. If you go to the 9am mass, plan on staying for a bit afterwards so that your children can attend formation each week. If you go the 11am mass, make it a habit to show up early so that your children have an opportunity to learn something new each week. Our volunteers on Sunday morning do a great job, and we would love for you to join us!
St. Lucy’s Day
Our monthly formation gathering this month coincides with our celebration of St. Lucy. This means that instead of meeting from 12:45-2:00, all of our children will be joining in the festival and celebration with the rest of the parish.
On Sunday, December 11, we will process for a little bit around Ardmore as soon as Evensong ends holding candles and singing, led by Abigail Rice, one of our youth girls. We want all of our children to be part of leading the procession, and we want them to be dressed the part!
The children will vest in cassocks and surplices (or choir robes) with red sashes (symbolizing the martyrdom of St. Lucy) and sit together during Evensong all together. As the service ends and the procession begins, they will be at the front holding their candles (with parental supervision if necessary!) lighting the way for the rest of the parish.
If you would like to participate in this, please arrive downstairs by the formation classrooms at 4:15pm on Sunday, December 11. We will get everyone vested and seated all together for Evensong at 5:00pm. The procession will begin around 5:45 as the service ends, and we will end in ECW around 6:00 where there will be snacks for everyone.
This will be a fun and joyous evening, so we want you and your children to join us!
Advent is Here
Pick up the Advent Family Resource Book in either of our formation classrooms (C1 or C2) on Sunday morning. Inside are devotions for Advent Wreaths, the final days of Advent, seasonal recipes, a Jesse Tree activity and devotion, and more!
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who settest the solitary in families: We commend to thy continual care the homes in which thy people dwell. Put far from them, we beseech thee, every root of bitterness, the desire of vainglory, and the pride of life. Fill them with faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness. Knit together in constant affection those who, in holy wedlock, have been made one flesh. Turn the hearts of the parents to the children, and the hearts of the children to the parents; and so enkindle fervent charity among us all, that we may evermore be kindly affectioned one to another; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
