Family & Faith

In Advent we rediscover the beauty of all being on a journey … across the paths of time. 

Pope Francis

Church Advent SPaRs (Stop Pray and Reflect)

Celebrating the Season of Advent and The Nativity in the Church                                                                                                                           

During Weeks 8 and 9 Kindergarten Yr 4 parents and carers are kindly invited to a SPaR (Stop, Pray and Reflect) in the Church to view the Nativity in the foyer, discuss the Season of Advent and participate in some special quiet reflection time with your child. Invitations will be issued by class teachers. The prayer session will take approximately 20 minutes.  

Parents and carers are welcome to meet us at the Church. And afterwards don’t forget to take home an Advent family prayer pack specially made for you!

OLF Parish Event! This Sunday - December 7!

We are all invited to a Parish event after 9:30am Mass this Sunday 7th December. It’s going to be epic! Fathers Julian, Zeljko and Nonie will be Blessing the Nativity in the Church and after that there will be pony rides and a petting Zoo and lunch. A great day has been planned and everyone’s invited! Children are invited to dress as angels or shepherds and please bring a plate to share.

I’m excited and I hope to see you there!

Blessing of the Nativity 2024

Creating Mindful and Meaningful Christmas Celebrations

By Susanne North  (Family Educator)  

Children love rituals and traditions. There is nothing more beautiful than watching

children’s shiny eyes and their contagious excitement in anticipation of a festive event, such as, for example, the approaching Christmas season. Children are innate spiritual beings from birth. Special celebrations can be celebrated in such a way that nurture a sense of awe, reverence and wonder for the specific occasion. When we assign meaning and purpose to a celebration, we provide children with rich nourishment for their  souls. By mindfully creating meaningful celebrations, we create pockets of reflection and contemplation which are building stones for emotional wellbeing, self-regulation, competence and resilience. Here are some suggestions as to how mindfully introducing some new rituals can add more meaning to your existing Christmas celebrations.

The Advent Season

Try and slow down the pace before Christmas and deliberately seek out times where you come together on a regular basis as a family to prepare yourself for Christmas. The Advent season is a preparation time (Advent meaning “the coming of something important”) and often more meaningful than the actual Christmas day itself which comes and goes so quickly and can be a downer for many. The 24-day lead up becomes a meaningful, contemplative process and preparation time that can be woven into the busyness of the everyday by simply lighting one of the Advent candles at dinner time.                                                                                                                                                

Make or buy a simple circular Advent Wreath for your family dinner, adorn it with four candles and some decoration. The season of Advent commences on Sunday, 30 November. Each Sunday leading up to Christmas a new candle is lit. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, there are four candles lit, meaning that Christmas is only a few days away. The lighting of every Advent candle could be accompanied with a special Christmas/Advent story, a conversation, sharing a meal, reading a poem, a prayer, scripture or singing a song together. There are some lovely children’s Christmas story books available that can be used for these special gatherings that can be brief yet rich. “The Light in the Lantern” and “Mary’s Little Donkey” are lovely short stories for the 24 days leading up to Christmas.        

Advent Joy for kids

Here are some simple ways to bring Advent joy to children while helping them to learn about, and personalise, some of our rich faith traditions. 

Click on the link from Advent JoyFamily from CathFamily.

You are also invited to view a video from Sydney Catholic Schools with John Burland. Click the link to access.  Faith, Fun and Celebration - Advent 

When does Advent begin and end?

Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. The first Sunday of Advent is the start of each new Church year.

1. What is Advent?

   The word ‘Advent’ comes from the Latin word adventus, which means ‘coming’ or ‘visit’.During this time we connect with the longing and expectant waiting of the Jewish people as they prepared for the advent of the Messiah. We also look forward with similar longing and expectancy to the second advent of Christ that we have been promised.The Catechism points out both meanings“When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for His second coming.” (No. 524).

    

2.  Has it always been celebrated by Catholics?

   The Advent tradition has evolved in the life of the Church. There was an early form in Europe, as a period of preparation for the Feast of the Epiphany when converts were traditionally baptised. Like Lent, it had an emphasis on prayer and fasting. A similar practice spread to England.In Rome, the Advent preparation seems to have appeared in the sixth century, judging from homilies by Pope St Gregory the Great. Over time it became more closely linked to Christmas. At one stage there were five Advent Sundays until Pope Gregory VII (pope from 1073-1088) reduced the number to four.

1. Are there special Advent prayers

   There are many, but perhaps the most special ones are in The Divine Office, which is part of the official liturgy of the Church. The Office contains particular psalms and prayers for each day. In the last week of Advent there are special antiphons before and after each of the psalms, known as the “O” antiphons because they all begin with “O”.They are very beautiful calls for Jesus to come into the world, filled with urgent longing and love of Christ. As we pray the prayers  they express our longing for Jesus to enter our hearts and world today and again in the fullness of time.Eg. The last O Antiphon said on December 23 is:O Emmanuel, you are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Saviour. O come and save us, Lord, our God.There are lots of Advent prayers you can use and adapt for the home or school. Check out our seasonal notes for our child-friendly Advent prayer service.

    

2. What are the colours of advent?

   Advent colours are purple and rose. At Mass the priest’s vestments, altar cloths, and Advent candles are purple, except for the third Sunday of the season, Gaudete Sunday, when the colour is rose, for joy.There is also a white candle for Christmas Day itself, usually in the middle of the Advent wreath.                       

Movember Men's Event

Thank you to the gentlemen who joined the Family Educator organisers in attending the Movember Men’s event at Gymea last Monday Night. It was highly successful!.

Fatima Friends - come join the fun in 2026!

Week 8 - Friday, 5 December: No formal Fatima Friends session but please come to our OLF Christmas Concert!

Please note there are no Fatima Friends sessions in Weeks 9 and 10 but Fatima Friends will return in 2026!

Wishing you a joyous start to the Season of Advent.   

Happy holidays!

Tracey Bowler | Family Educator