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An Aussie Mum
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To all you wonderful inspiring ladies!
I am new to this forum and I have already been inspired by your support to each other. I am amazed by your wealth of knowledge in so many areas, especially your faith. I am a convert to the faith and feel there is so much to know about Catholicism.
I am currently making up an advent calendar of my own with activities for each day and was wondering if any of you had any ideas for activities for the feast of the Immaculate Conception?
Blessings,
Kate 
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leanne maree
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Welcome Kate,
I am kinda new too.
I love this board too.it is filled with such beautiful women.
Where in OZ do you live.?
We are in Newcastle.
God Bless,
Leanne
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MaryM
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Jenn shared this beautiful tradition - the Mary Candle - which sparked a thread of ideas last year for variations.
And Ruth had a nice Immaculate Conception ideas post on her blog a few years ago.
This is from a post a few years back as well. Since the Miraculous Medal is an image of Mary under this title, having activites around the MM for this feast day is fitting.
As far as our family's traditions - since we decorate the tree with symbols to correspond with the Feast days and Saints each day in Advent, we put white glass ornaments on the tree on this day.
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Our Domestic Church
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Zeliemum
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Hi Kate,
Welcome to this amazing board I am a convert too and always inspired here. It has inhanced my faith and homeschooling so much..... I'm always grateful for this board.
We always try to start the Immaculate Conception Novena for this feast day.
I found this at the EWTN site. It's a lovely novena. http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/immaculate.htm
Flowers are a big one for all the kids. We decorate all our images of Our Lady especially our oratory where we have a lovely 3 ft statue of Our Lady.
Also we get out our Seton Art 1 book on pg4 Pattern 3 there is a lovely craft to Celebrate The Immaculate Conception even though this is for smaller cildren my older kids love to do stuff from this book. Their end result is usually more creatively mature than the littler ones but they still really enjoy it.
Just a few ideas.
God Bless
Chemai
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An Aussie Mum
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Thank you to Mary and Chemai for your ideas. I am sorry to have taken so long to reply!!! It has only been a few months since I began trying to incorporate Saints days activities into our home school. In the past I would only celebrate the children's name feast day. I am really enjoying learning more about the Saints along with the children.
Thank you again for your input!
Leanne - I am in Perth
God Bless,
Kate
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SylviaB
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I really like the idea of doing a Mary candle.
So, do you light it on the 8th and then use it for evening prayers every night in Advent? And also use it on Christmas Eve instead of a Christ candle?
Do you keep it covered when not using it?
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Helen
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We're going to (hopefully) pray a novena to prepare for the Immaculate Conception. When I searched for a prayer I found this interesting site with pictures of prayer cards from the 30's- 60's:
THe Great Novena of the Immaculate Conception
AT our Franciscan meeting we were encouraged to begin the NOvena on November 29th, the Feast of all Franciscan saints. We were told that this is the traditional beginning for Franciscans. I found this novena at a Franciscan site:
Franciscan Novena
Here's EWTN's Novena for the Immaculate Conception
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Waverley
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Sylvia,
As for using the Mary Candle, you can do it either way. You can light it on the 8th and each night until Christmas or you can set it out on the 8th but not light it until Christmas. If you light it on the 8th and each night thereafter, the cover you make for the candle (to hide the baby Jesus) will be wrapped around the candle beneath the wick. I saw a lovely one where the cover was white and it was secured to the candle with a blue ribbon. If you wait and light the candle on Christmas Eve or Day, you can cover the entire candle.
More information about using and making a Mary candle can be found at Catholic Culture and Women for Faith and Family. Sorry I don't have the links.
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JennGM
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Waverley wrote:
Sylvia,
As for using the Mary Candle, you can do it either way. You can light it on the 8th and each night until Christmas or you can set it out on the 8th but not light it until Christmas. If you light it on the 8th and each night thereafter, the cover you make for the candle (to hide the baby Jesus) will be wrapped around the candle beneath the wick. I saw a lovely one where the cover was white and it was secured to the candle with a blue ribbon. If you wait and light the candle on Christmas Eve or Day, you can cover the entire candle.
More information about using and making a Mary candle can be found at Catholic Culture and Women for Faith and Family. Sorry I don't have the links. |
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Here are some links:
Celebration Ideas for Immaculate Conception
Mary Candle II from Helen McLoughlin -- this is what my family does.
Mary Candle from True Christmas Spirit
WF&F Immaculate Conception
I'm out of time, but there have been discussions here previously on this, too.
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JennGM
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Oh, I wanted to add...I get muddled sometimes figuring this out. It's called a Mary Candle, but sometimes it's called a Christ Candle. It depends on how you look at it. The mantle covering the candle is Mary, and the candle is Jesus, or the whole candle is her body with Jesus in her womb, and the mantle covered is her clothing or the maternity.
We had a special candle that had a hole carved out and a small wax figure of the infant Jesus lying inside, which made it perfect for the candle representing Mary and you could See Jesus in the womb. The covering then represented her maternity until Christmas, when the Child was revealed.
Not sure if that makes sense...
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SylviaB
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Thanks everyone, we already do an advent wreath, but I am excited to do this as well this year!
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Waverley
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For anyone reading this thread and wanting pictures of the several styles of Mary candles, go to the thread entitled Have you ever made a Christ Candle? and look:
1. in Jenn's first post. Clik on the Heres what I did link to see her beautiful candle and mantle
2. also scroll down to Mary's post where she has pictures of her candle and its cover.
Just thought I'd help those who need pictures like I do 
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aussieannie
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Here is our Christ Candle from last year. I had been greatly inspired by Jenn's beautiful, red candle.
I dug out a 'cave' and then lined it with a silver dinner doyley and bought a little, luminous Christ Child Image to glue in the middle.
We made a cover for the candle.
At present our homeschooling group is meeting every week through advent, one of our Tuesdays will be dedicated to the making of these Christ Candles, so that will be very enjoyable.
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aussieannie
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Helen wrote:
AT our Franciscan meeting we were encouraged to begin the NOvena on November 29th, the Feast of all Franciscan saints. We were told that this is the traditional beginning for Franciscans. I found this novena at a Franciscan site:
Franciscan Novena |
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Thanks for sharing that Helen, as the 29th of November is my baptismal day and it lovely to know it is the day the Fransican's start the novena for the Immaculate Conception. (In our home we must follow the Franciscan tradition with novenas, as we start them to have the novena itself, finish on the Eve, so we will use this Fransican Novena for the feast.)
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Mackfam
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I just wanted to add that we are doing a simple craft for Our Lady's Feast - A Garden Enclosed.
It's a simple shrine based on the verse in Song of Solomon 4:12
Quote:
| A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride, a garden locked, a fountain sealed. |
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missionfamily
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Love that idea, Jenn...I think we are going to make our Mary/Christ candle this year.
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Helen
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Mackfam wrote:
I just wanted to add that we are doing a simple craft for Our Lady's Feast - A Garden Enclosed.
It's a simple shrine based on the verse in Song of Solomon 4:12
Quote:
| A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride, a garden locked, a fountain sealed. |
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Lovely craft Jenn.
Many great artists incorporate the symbolism of the "garden enclosed" in connection to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
I tried to find some examples at the Web Gallery of art.
Here's one:
I hope this link works
We've been looking at
Rogier Van der Weyden's Annunciation and looking at all the symbols.
Here's another link to the Web Gallery
I believe that the one candle in the candlelabra is a symbol of the Immaculate Conception. (There's only one Immaculate Conception.)
We think there are many symbols of Our Lady's Perpetual Virginity there as well. The settee with three pillows (the Trinity) set against the fire place. (Similar to the closed door of the Ark of Noah.)
On the shelf there is a full, glass vase with a cap on it next to two oranges. (NOt sure what the oranges are about.)
There are many more clues and hints. Feel free to add your own thoughts/guesses!
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Mackfam
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Helen wrote:
On the shelf there is a full, glass vase with a cap on it next to two oranges. (NOt sure what the oranges are about.)
There are many more clues and hints. Feel free to add your own thoughts/guesses! |
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Oranges are another symbol of purity, chastity and generosity - quite appropriate in a painting of the Annunciation! I absolutely *love* hunting down all the symbolism and hidden meanings in sacred art, Helen!!! I'll include these in our art line-up this Fine Arts Friday.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Waverley
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Speaking of symbolism in art - I love the web site:
Symbols in Christian Art and Architecture http://home.att.net/~wegast/symbols/symbols.htm
I use it all the time. Someone on this board posted about this site and I have used it ever since. Unfortunately, I can't remember who originally posted the link. But thank you again!
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Waverley
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asplendidtime
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Dh and I met on Dec. 8th! We had our 6th child on that day, it is special for us.
Thankyou for the wonderful ideas!
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Immaculate Conception Feast Day Ideas
