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Families of our St. Joe's School Community, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Liturgical New Year, that is. With the start of Advent we've entered into a new Church Year. And what a perfect season to begin anew with, these four weeks inviting us to consider and prepare for Jesus' coming like we hope to do throughout our lives as faithful disciples. But it can be so easy for these weeks to get lost in the exciting hustle towards Christmas, the wonderful craziness of planning and preparing gifts and spaces and experiences for our families and loved ones. Often because of these things - though beautiful - we can forget to plan and prepare our hearts for Christmas. We need to make it a priority to look inward during these weeks and make ourselves as spiritually ready as our houses are festive. Is there space for Christ in our hearts and minds? How can we make a place for him? The traditional devotions of this season can help us gift ourselves the opportunity to really live Advent and not just skip it entirely for what's to come. God absolutely has something for you in this time. It's just about getting quiet enough to hear His voice and preparing room for him to reside in us. My hope is that this issue of Joseph's Word will give you resources, things to reflect on, and practical tips to help this Advent feel fruitful and grounded in what matters, while still enjoying all the amazing magic of this time of year. All for Him, JOSEPH'S WORD Pope Francis' monthly intention Scan the QR Code for a Bio and video about the life of Lucy! That people, who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time. wordy wisdom saint of the month Purificator: The white cloth used to cleanse the Chalice during and after communion. It 's usually embroidered with a cross.

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Page 1: K OÒ - St Joseph Parish Downingtown...Christ, had left the warfare of thisworld, and becomea dear friendof this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful,

Families of our St. Joe's School Community,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Liturgical New Year, that is. With the

start of Advent we've entered into a new Church Year. And

what a perfect season to begin anew with, these four weeks

inviting us to consider and prepare for Jesus' coming like we

hope to do throughout our lives as faithful disciples.

But it can be so easy for these weeks to get lost in the

exciting hustle towards Christmas, the wonderful craziness of

planning and preparing gifts and spaces and experiences for

our families and loved ones. Often because of these things -

though beautiful - we can forget to plan and prepare our

hearts for Christmas. We need to make it a priority to look

inward during these weeks and make ourselves as spiritually

ready as our houses are festive. Is there space for Christ in our

hearts and minds? How can we make a place for him? The

traditional devotions of this season can help us gift ourselves

the opportunity to really live Advent and not just skip it

entirely for what's to come. God absolutely has something for

you in this time. It's just about getting quiet enough to hear

His voice and preparing room for him to reside in us. My hope

is that this issue of Joseph's Word will give you resources,

things to reflect on, and practical tips to help this Advent

feel fruitful and grounded in what matters, while still

enjoying all the amazing magic of this time of year.

All for Him,

ISSUE #4 / / DECEMBER 2018

CAMPUS MINISTRY NEWSLETTER

JOSEPH'S WORD

S T . L U C Y

Pope Francis' monthly intention

Scan the QR Code for a Bio and video about the life of Lucy!

That people, who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time.

wordy wisdom

saint of the month

A F U N C A T H O L I C WORD Y O U MA Y NO T

H A V E K NOWN B E F O R E !

Purificator: The white cloth used to cleanse the Chalice during and after communion. It 's usually embroidered with a cross.

Corinne Gannotti

Page 2: K OÒ - St Joseph Parish Downingtown...Christ, had left the warfare of thisworld, and becomea dear friendof this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful,

Advent, week by week.

First Week - Hope

Third Week - Joy Fourth Week - Peace

Second Week - Faith

Our bishops are good to us and the USCCB creates lots of wonerful resources in each Liturgical Season. For Advent, they've shared a "Lectio Divina" or "Divine Reading" each week. Lectio Divina is one of the oldest forms of contemplative prayer in Christian spirituality, dating back to the earliest monastic period after Christ's death and resurrection. Essentially, this style of prayer involves reading through a piece of scripture with a thoughtful heart to hear God's voice. There are four steps in the process: lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), contemplatio (contemplation), and oratio (prayer). That might sound fancy, but it's really beautifully simple and the USCCB's guide for each week makes it easy to follow even if you've never prayed this way before. This kind of prayer can be so fruitful because it really draws your mind and heart into the Scripture you read. Give it a try this Advent season - just scan the QR code to get right to the corresponding guide for that week. You can also find more resources at www.usccb.org/advent!

Page 3: K OÒ - St Joseph Parish Downingtown...Christ, had left the warfare of thisworld, and becomea dear friendof this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful,

The traditional devotionals used during Advent serve their purpose most fully when they help us

enter more deeply into the spirituality of these weeks. One of the most popular devotions during

this time is the Advent Wreath. And with good reason! Part of the immense beauty of this devotion

is the depth of its symbolism. Each aspect of the Advent Wreath and how we use it reveals

something to us about the nature of this season and the posture we want to place our hearts in.

Understanding the symbolic meaning of these physical things can make us feel much more

capable of entering in prayerfully when we use them. So what is the meaning behind it all?

T H E A D V E N T W R E A T H  

The 4 candles mark each of the 4 Sundays of

the Advent season. As the candlelight

increases each week, we consider Christ's

light overcoming the darkness. Each candle

represents 1,000 years so that all together

they symbolize the 4,000 biblical years

humanity waited for the Savior. The 5th

white candle in the center is called the

Christ Candle and is lit on Christmas Day.

The circular shape of the

wreath reminds us of the

eternal nature of God and

His unending love for us.

Traditionally, evergreen leaves are

used to form the wreath as a sign of the

eternal life won for us by Christ that we

hope to share with Him. Sometimes

you'll also see holly leaves and berries

to represent the Jesus' crown of thorns

and his Precious Blood; and pine cones

symbolize his Resurrection.

The color of the candles is particularly

significant, matching the vestments we'll see

the priest wear at mass each week. Violet is a

color of both repentance & royalty, reminding

us to turn from sin and prepare for Jesus who is

the true king. Rose symbolizes our joy growing

as we get closer to the incarnation.

Page 4: K OÒ - St Joseph Parish Downingtown...Christ, had left the warfare of thisworld, and becomea dear friendof this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful,

LITURGICAL LIVING

Advent is a time of anticipation, not just an empty waiting period designed to force us to grow in the virtue of

patience until the goodness of Christmas arrives. It comes from the Latin word Adventus, meaning "coming".

Just like you might be preparing for the coming friends and family at the end of this month, to really be ready

for Jesus' coming we have these four significant weeks to prepare spiritually for celebrating the incarnation,

one of the most significant Christian feasts all year. But how do you fight that feeling of being overwhelmed?

Even the goodness of Advent devotions may seem like just another thing to do amidst the already growing list

to accomplish before December 25th. In the face of that temptation, I think it's important to remember that

especially in Advent less is more. Jesus wants to meet us in the quiet, innermost place of our heart more than

he wants a perfectly curated pinterest-y Advent set-up in our home. Those things can be good, and if the ideas

below can bless you, praise God! I hope you incorporate them into your Advent celebration joyfully. But know

that above all, the God who became a little baby to save the world just longs for quiet moments with your heart

this season - a place for him to reside. That's the best gift you can give Our Lord (and yourself!) this Advent.

Entering into the heart of Advent

Ideas to make this season Advent-ageous.- Check out our Campus Ministry Spotify Playlist for Advent! - Pray the "O Antiphons" the week leading to Christmas Day. - Commit to going to Confession together as a family. - Pray the St. Andrew Prayer each night.

- Do the Jesse Tree Devotion together. - Donate old winter clothes to a local homeless shelter. - Bake St. Nicholas Spice Cookies on Dec. 6th. - Do a "giving manger" (google it!) and add pieces of hay for every good deed you do.

Page 5: K OÒ - St Joseph Parish Downingtown...Christ, had left the warfare of thisworld, and becomea dear friendof this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful,

I bett somewhere in your Christmas décor there's a Nativity scene to display this season. Maybe large and

elaborate, maybe small and baby-proof, maybe as an image on an ornament or created by one of your children.

Nativity scenes, or creches as they're sometimes called, are so common to see around this time of year sometimes

we can look at one without much thought. Do you know where this quintessential Christmas decoration

originates, though? It's history is pretty beautiful, a profound moment in the life of St. Francis of Assisi when he

was just a young deacon serving in the Italian town of Grecio for Christmas of 1223. One of his Franciscan brothers,

St. Bonaventure, wrote a whole book about St. Francis and in it shares the amazing story of the first creche.

S T . F R A N C I S &

T H E F I R S T C R E C H E

"It happened in the third year before his death, that in order to excite the inhabitants of Grecio to

commemorate the nativity of the Infant Jesus with great devotion, [St. Francis] determined to keep it

with all possible solemnity; and lest he should be accused of lightness or novelty, he asked and

obtained the permission of the sovereign Pontiff. Then he prepared a manger, and brought hay, and

an ox and an ass to the place appointed. The brethren were summoned, the people ran together, the

forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and

brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise. The man of God [St. Francis] stood before the manger,

full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; the Holy Gospel was chanted by

Francis, the Levite of Christ. Then he preached to the people around the nativity of the poor King;

and being unable to utter His name for the tenderness of His love, He called Him the Babe of

Bethlehem. A certain valiant and veracious soldier, Master John of Grecio, who, for the love of

Christ, had left the warfare of this world, and become a dear friend of this holy man, affirmed that

he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful, sleeping in the manger, Whom the blessed Father

Francis embraced with both his arms, as if he would awake Him from sleep. This vision of the

devout soldier is credible, not only by reason of the sanctity of him that saw it, but by reason of the

miracles which afterwards confirmed its truth. For example of Francis, if it be considered by the

world, is doubtless sufficient to excite all hearts which are negligent in the faith of Christ; and the

hay of that manger, being preserved by the people, miraculously cured all diseases of cattle, and

many other pestilences; God thus in all things glorifying his servant, and witnessing to the great

efficacy of his holy prayers by manifest prodigies and miracles." - St. Bonaventure, Life of St. Francis

Page 6: K OÒ - St Joseph Parish Downingtown...Christ, had left the warfare of thisworld, and becomea dear friendof this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful,

W H A T D O Y O U M E M E

Y O U H A V E N ' T S E E N

T H E S E A D V E N T

M E M E S Y E T ?

Page 7: K OÒ - St Joseph Parish Downingtown...Christ, had left the warfare of thisworld, and becomea dear friendof this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful,

Thoughts or ideas?

Corinne Gannotti,

Campus Minister

[email protected]

Feasts &Holy Days this month...2nd - 1st Sunday of Advent 3rd - St. Francis Xavier 4th - St. John Damascene 6th - St. Nicholas 7th - St. Ambrose 8th - Immaculate Conception 9th - 2nd Sunday of Advent 12th - Our Lady of Guadalupe

13th - St. Lucy 14th - St. John of the Cross 16th - 3rd Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday 25th - Nativity of our Lord 26th - St. Stephen 27th - St. John the Apostle 28th - Holy innocents 30th - The Holy Family

J O L L Y O L D S A I N T N I C H O L A S

Who was this man, this saintly bishop, whom we celebrate and

remember on his feast of December 6th and in many ways

shapes our experience of the Christmas season? Who has

become a legend cherished in such an iconic and festive way

each Christmas? Why Nicholas? Learning some of the history

of this man can lead us to a deeper appreciation of the truth

behind our beloved Santa Claus.

Nicholas was born in the 3rd century in the village on the

southern coast of modern day Turkey. His wealthy parents,

who raised him a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while

he was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own

and give to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to

assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his

life to serving God as a priest and was made Bishop of Myra

while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known

throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his

love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

information from: stnicholascenter.org

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Nicholas was exiled and

imprisoned. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 where he taught and

defended the faith in the face of heresy. He is said to have died on December 6, AD 343. The anniversary of his

death became a day of celebration and through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St.

Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so

beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need. Many of these accounts of his generosity and

goodness, retold by poets and storytellers, grew into the beautiful image of Santa Claus - who emulates

similar characteristics to this holy and giving saint.