Religious Education News
Whole School Mass this Sunday
On Sunday 2nd December, the first Sunday of Advent, all families across the school are invited to attend our final school/parish mass for the year. Some students will be involved in helping at the mass and singing in the choir with Mrs Hedley. We hope to see you on Sunday 2nd December at 11.00 a.m.
Sacrament Of Reconciliation
We congratulate our Year 2 students who last weekend and next weekend will be going to Reconciliation for the very first time. Please keep them in your prayers as they receive this important sacrament. You will see the students pledge cards displayed in the church. Please write your name on these sheets to show that you are supporting them through prayer.
The Season of Advent
The word Advent is from the Latin adventus for "coming" and is associated with the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Advent always contains four Sundays, beginning on the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, (November 30) and continuing until December 24. A new liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent. It is the season of hope, where the impossible is becoming possible. In the scriptures we read of the dry, barren wilderness bursting into bloom; of broken hearts healing. It is the season of longing and light. Week by week, candles are lit on the Advent wreath signifying our longing for the light of Christ, as the time of his birth draws near. During Advent, we realise the humanness of Christ. This is a profound mystery at the heart of our faith, and it is the cause of our joy at Christmas.
The traditional colour of Advent is purple or violet which symbolises the penitential spirit. There are a number of traditions associated with the Church’s celebration of Advent.
ADVENT WREATH
The custom of lighting an Advent Wreath of candles originates in the ancient Northern European custom of having a fire wheel at the winter solstice in December. The fire wheel was lit to celebrate the gradual return of the sun after the shortest, darkest days of winter. Christians adapted this symbol to celebrate the coming of Christ, the light, who transforms the darkest depths of our world.
Many people celebrate Advent by lighting the candles of an Advent wreath each day, accompanied by a prayer. One candle for Week 1, two candles for Week 2, and so on. The wreath comprises three purple candles and one rose-coloured, for the joyful Third Week of Advent. They are set in a circle of evergreen leaves, symbolising God’s endless life and love. A fifth candle, a white ‘Christ’ candle, may be placed in the centre to be lit at Christmas. The gradual lighting of the candles represents the increasing light of Christ as his coming draws near.
JESSE TREE
The Jesse Tree custom is a pictorial celebration of the Jewish history and ancestry of Jesus. Picture-symbols are hung upon a tree, each representing a fragment of the story of the Jewish people leading up to Jesus who is, for Christians, the fulfilment of the prophesies contained in the Hebrew Scriptures. Each person represented by the symbols has, in some way, helped prepare the way for Jesus, the Messiah.
The carrying out of this tradition involves obtaining a tree branch or small evergreen tree on which to hang the symbols, and perhaps a brief passage of Scripture related to the person depicted. The symbols may be hung on the tree throughout the season of Advent.
Those represented on the tree include Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel, Joseph (coat of many colours), Judah, Ruth, David, Solomon, Joseph (husband of Mary), the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ her Son.
ADVENT CALENDAR
Another way to mark the days of Advent is to use an Advent calendar. These calendars usually have a door or window to open each day to reveal an image or a prayer. The days of Advent vary each year, so store-bought Advent calendars usually have 24 doors, one for each day in December leading up to Christmas. If you are making your own calendar it may link with the symbols from the Jesse Tree or the prayers for lighting the Advent Wreath.
End of Year Mass
All families are invited to join us for our End of School Year mass on Wednesday December 12 and for our Year Six Graduation Mass on Saturday December 15th.