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MichelleW
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We are looking at trying to really teach that Christmas is a season and not just a day as an entire congregation this year. Would you brainstorm with me things that we could do to carry that reality through 12 days? I was thinking perhaps we could offer a caroling night, a games night, etc. I don't know. Anyone ever done this? Thought of doing it? Ideas?
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Michelle
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MaryM
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We've never done it as an entire congregation - just as a family, but it is a great idea to emphasize the season for the whole parish. Would be great fun and lots of opportunities for community building. Any of those ideas you suggested would be great fun. There are also lots of older, ethnic traditions that could be pulled in - it really was a whole season celebration in communities of old (in Europe).
Feast of Stephen (Dec. 26) - In Poland sometimes called second Christmas, was a day for sharing with the animals (horses, domestic fowl), also when the horses were hitched up to the sleighs after several days of no exercise. So you could do something focused on animals (if rural visit a farm, or visit a zoo), have a sledding party, or old fashioned sleigh rides if available (and if weather permits -remembering you are in a more temperate area which won't necessarily have snow).
So that is just one day. I'm thinking this would be a good thread to break up into the specific 12 days after Christmas and brainstorm each one and keep it all here in a organized way. There are numerous threads of old which have great 12 Days of Christmas ideas which we can pull from.
I'm also moving it to the Domestic Church forum for that reason. This will be fun...  - everyone JOIN IN!! 
I'm starting with a post for each date - the dates for some feasts are going to vary depending each year how Christmas falls day of week-wise. All the feast days that will move in the Ordinary Form depending on the Sunday. So will add those variations as I have time (Epiphany, Holy Family). This year since Christmas is on Sunday, more dates match up with EF. It will include the saint's feast days - some of which are newer and don't have "old" traditions associated. I encourage members to add ideas and we will move them up in to the date boxes for ease of searching for particular ideas. Please be patient as I try to get the "dates" right and combine calendars.
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December 26 - Feast of St. Stephen (Deacon, 1st martyr)
MaryM wrote:
| Feast of Stephen (Dec. 26) - In Poland sometimes called second Christmas, was a day for sharing with the animals (horses, domestic fowl), also when the horses were hitched up to the sleighs after several days of no exercise. So you could do something focused on animals (if rural visit a farm, or visit a zoo), have a sledding party, or old fashioned sleigh rides if available (and if weather permits -remembering you are in a more temperate area which won't necessarily have snow). |
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MaryM
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December 27 - St. John the Evangelist
Pulling in a group craft idea from an older thread:
alicegunther wrote:
As for St. John the Evangelist, Spoon Saints would be quick and inexpensive. I recently purchased tiny eagles at the craft store so the children could make St. John dolls. [This might be too expensive for a large group, but, you might be able to make plain little eagles out of paper to go with the spoon doll. Then again, you could just make eagles! Boys tend to really love these.] St. John is recognizable if shown with an eagle and maybe a paper and pen to represent him as an Evangelist.
Another simple idea: Felt banners featuring an eagle with the words "St. John the Evangelist" emblazoned across the front. Felt is perfect for a crowd because it is reasonably priced and easy to work with. It would require you to do lots of advance cutting though.
Perhaps you might draw inspiration from this eagle clip art. |
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JodieLyn wrote:
| I noticed a "St. John's Wine" in "A Continual Feast".. basically a spiced heated wine (recipe says heat for 5 minutes and you basically remove the alcohol).. but I was thinking a simple "activity" would be to have a special time on St. John's Day (12/27) to have your priest bless wine for the feast day. So it doesn't have to be something complicated or that takes a long time away from home.. and it will educate and encourage people to continue with the celebration. |
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Catholic Culture wrote:
Blessing of Wine for the Feast of St. John the Apostle
St. John the Apostle, is the disciple "whom Jesus loved". It is a custom in the old countries to drink of "St. John's Love". The Church provided a special blessing of wine in honor of the Saint. According to legend St. John drank a glass of poisoned wine without suffering harm because he had blessed it before he drank. The wine is also a symbol of the great love of Christ that filled St. John's heart with loyalty, courage and enthusiasm for his Master; he alone of all the apostles was not afraid to stay close to Our Lord during the Passion and Crucifixion.
St. John's wine, blessed by the priest or sprinkled with water by the father of the family, is served with the main meal. In Catholic sections of Europe, even the children receive a little sip of it after the main course of the dinner. The wine is poured in glasses and passed around to the family and guests. As each glass is given, say:
"I drink you the love of St. John."
Response will be "I thank you for the love of St. John."
The following prayer is said over the wine:
Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who has made heaven and earth.
Leader: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Leader: Let us pray. Be so kind as to bless and consecrate with Your right hand, Lord, this cup of wine, and every drink. Grant that by the merits of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist, all who believe in You and drink of this cup may be blessed and protected. Blessed John drank poison from the cup, and was in no way harmed. So, too, may all who this day drink from this cup in honor of Blessed John, by his merits, be freed from every sickness by poisoning and from any harms whatever. And, when they have offered themselves in both soul and body, may they be freed, too, from every fault, through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Leader: Bless, Lord, this beverage which You have made. May it be a healthful refreshment to all who drink of it. And grant by the invocation of Your holy name that whoever tastes of it may, by Your generosity receive health of both soul and body, through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen
Prayer Source: Feast Day Cookbook by Katherine Burton and Helmut Ripperger, David McKay Company, Inc., New York, 1951 |
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Mary M. in Denver
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MaryM
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December 28 - Feast of the Holy Innocents (aka Childermas)
MaryM wrote:
Ideas for Feast of the Holy Innocents:
~Gather to say a rosary for life at the church
~Go to a Planned Parenthood clinic to pray there
~Have a collection of baby items to donate to a crisis pregnancy center in the area. |
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ShannonJ wrote:
For Dec 28th (Childermas) - perhaps let the children plan and make a special dinner. |
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Quote:
You can also do the Blessing of Children on Holy Innocents.
and this is a quote from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Feast of Holy Innocents
---this is your day, my children. To imitate through life these innocent, simple, unconscious babies, the first victims for our Jesus. Their mothers' anguish; even a little murmur, perhaps, that Mary and Joseph left them to suffer all, and brought on them this bloodshed and murder. The spiritual view so different; The little bodies cut down ---the little souls joyfully flying up. Happy, blessed troop entering Limbo, so welcome to the holy fathers, and expectant souls to whom they give the news that He who was to come, is come, and oh! that their lives had been given for His.
My children, mind the soldiers of Herod, for they are the ministers of the Prince of darkness---worse far than they who could only touch the body, for the soldiers of Satan kill and destroy your little souls. As a last thought: do not kill one another's souls by scandal. Say of her who gives the bad example: There is a soldier of Herod!
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton to her children. |
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Quote:
| A traditional custom is to serve something with red sauce, representing the blood of the innocent young martyrs. Here is an idea from Catholic Cuisine. |
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Mary M. in Denver
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December 29 - St. Thomas Becket
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December 30 - Holy Family (OF)
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December 31 - St. Sylvester
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January 1 - Solemnity of Mary Mother of God (OF), Circumcision of Our Lord (EF)
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January 2 - St. Basil the Great & St. Gregory Nazianzen (OF), Most Holy Name of Jesus (EF)
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January 3 - Most Holy Name of Jesus (OF)
Names of Jesus Unit
Quote:
Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us .
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Splendor of the Father, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Brightness of eternal Light, have mercy on us.
Jesus, King of Glory, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Sun of Justice, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most amiable, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most admirable, have mercy on us.
Jesus, the mighty God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Father of the world to come, have mercy on us.
Jesus, angel of great counsel, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most powerful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most patient, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most obedient, have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Lover of Chastity, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our Lover, have mercy on us .
Jesus, God of Peace, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Author of Life, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Model of Virtues, have mercy on us .
Jesus, zealous for souls, have mercy on us .
Jesus, our God, have mercy on us .
Jesus, our Refuge, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Father of the Poor, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Treasure of the Faithful, have mercy on us .
Jesus, good Shepherd, have mercy on us .
Jesus, true Light, have mercy on us .
Jesus, eternal Wisdom, have mercy on us .
Jesus, infinite Goodness, have mercy on us .
Jesus, our Way and our Life, have mercy on us .
Jesus, joy of the Angels, have mercy on us .
Jesus, King of the Patriarchs, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Master of the Apostles, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Teacher of the Evangelists, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Strength of Martyrs, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Light of Confessors, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Purity of Virgins, have mercy on us .
Jesus, Crown of all Saints, have mercy on us .
Be merciful, spare us, O Jesus!
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Jesus!
From all evil, deliver us, O Jesus .
From all sin, deliver us, O Jesus .
From your wrath, deliver us, O Jesus .
From the snares of the devil, deliver us, O Jesus .
From the spirit of fornication, deliver us, O Jesus .
From everlasting death, deliver us, O Jesus .
From the neglect of your inspirations, deliver us, O Jesus .
Through the mystery of your holy Incarnation, deliver us, O Jesus .
Through your Nativity, deliver us, O Jesus .
Through your Infancy, deliver us, O Jesus .
Through your most divine Life, deliver us, O Jesus .
Through your Labors, deliver us, O Jesus .
Through your Agony and Passion, deliver us, O Jesus.
Through your Cross and Dereliction, deliver us, O Jesus.
Through your Sufferings, deliver us, O Jesus.
Through your Death and Burial, deliver us, O Jesus.
Through your Resurrection, deliver us, O Jesus.
Through your Ascension, deliver us, O Jesus.
Through your Institution of the Most Holy Eucharist, deliver us, O Jesus.
Through your Joys, deliver us, O Jesus.
Through your Glory, deliver us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Jesus!
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Jesus!
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Jesus!
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, you have said, "Ask and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you"; mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us the grace of your most divine love, that we may love you with all our hearts, and in all our words and actions, and never cease to praise you.
Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear and love of your holy name, for you never fail to govern those whom you solidly establish in your love. You, who live and reign forever and ever. R. Amen.
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January 4 - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (OF)
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January 5 - St. John Neumann (OF), St. Telesphorus (EF)
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January 6 - Epiphany (EF), St. Andre Bessette (OF)
This is the traditional date of Epiphany and the one used if you are following "12 Days" of Christmas - otherwise the dates don't fit. In the OF the celebration of Epiphany is moved to the 2nd Sunday following Christmas (this year that will be December 8 - in the EF, the Sunday after Epiphany is the Feast of the Holy Family so in that form, January 8 is Feast of the Holy Family - sufficiently confused....???  ).
ShannonJ wrote:
| Also we started celebrating the traditional Epiphany with 3 Kings Day, a tradition in many other countries, when I was bringing the kids to Spanish lessons. The evening before they fill a shoebox with grass and hay and leave some water out for the traveling camels. In the morning there are some small trinkets that the Wise Men have left in thanks. |
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St. Ann wrote:
Shannon, we do this. In our Parish, groups of children go out dressed as the 3 Kings and a star carrier = 4 children, to all the homes in different neighborhoods collecting money for charity. They carry blessed chalk with them and after singing and introducing themselves as Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior they write the Blessing on the doorpost. This is organized through the Parishes. |
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Ideas for Feast of the Holy Innocents:
~Gather to say a rosary for life at the church
~Go to a Planned Parenthood clinic to pray there
~Have a collection of baby items to donate to a crisis pregnancy center in the area.
Add your ideas and suggestions - I'll move as quotes up to the date boxes.
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JodieLyn
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I noticed a "St. John's Wine" in "A Continual Feast".. basically a spiced heated wine (recipe says heat for 5 minutes and you basically remove the alcohol).. but I was thinking a simple "activity" would be to have a special time on St. John's Day (12/27) to have your priest bless wine for the feast day. So it doesn't have to be something complicated or that takes a long time away from home.. and it will educate and encourage people to continue with the celebration.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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ShannonJ
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Not specific to a particular day, but I know some people like to save the 3 Wise Men until after Christmas and then move them a bit closer each day until the Epiphany (Jan 6).
Also we started celebrating the traditional Epiphany with 3 Kings Day, a tradition in many other countries, when I was bringing the kids to Spanish lessons. The evening before they fill a shoebox with grass and hay and leave some water out for the traveling camels. In the morning there are some small trinkets that the Wise Men have left in thanks.
For Dec 28th (Childermas) - perhaps let the children plan and make a special dinner.
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~Shannon
Mom of dd 12, ds 9, & dd 5
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JennGM
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I have loads of books that give all sorts of ideas for celebrating through Christmas.
Christmas to Candlemas in a Catholic Home by Helen McLoughlin is my absolute favorite.
Twelve Days of Christmas by Elsa Chaney. This includes some parish ideas, too.
Some simple ideas to keep up the season:
1) Pick several countries or one country to celebrate or learn about the Christmas customs. Learn some of the carols and foods. A country a day, or a country a week.
2) Have a different Christmas carol for each night -- maybe learn some new ones.
3) It's simple, and you probably already do it, but have a Christmas book or two to read aloud for each day of Christmas.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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MichelleW
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THANK YOU!
So far, these are the things that seem do-able to me to do with a group of 1000 people:
December 26th offer horse and buggy rides and caroling
December 27th an evening of _____ (I am thinking storytelling, but not sure how to do this yet...maybe a movie night?) with spiced wine and cider and cookies.
December 28th praying for Life, maybe spiritual adoption? I'd like to do something that highlights the littles we see around us so that we are particularly aware of the absence of the Voiceless.
December 29th when I think of St Thomas Becket I think of justice. Not sure where to go with that yet...
December 30th something that celebrates the family, and each domestic church.
December 31st
January 1st
Januaey 2nd
January 3rd
January 4th
January 5th
January 6th Epiphany! I LOVE this day. Also we have a large Hispanic population in our church and I would love for us to honor them by throwing a 3 Kings Party for them. I wonder if that would interfere with their own celebrations? Maybe the previous day would make more sense?
Any more large group ideas? Thanks for being willing to brainstorm with me!
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Michelle
Mom to 3 (dd 14, ds 15, and ds 16)
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St. Ann
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ShannonJ wrote:
Not specific to a particular day, but I know some people like to save the 3 Wise Men until after Christmas and then move them a bit closer each day until the Epiphany (Jan 6).
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Shannon, we do this. In our Parish, groups of children go out dressed as the 3 Kings and a star carrier = 4 children, to all the homes in different neighborhoods collecting money for charity. They carry blessed chalk with them and after singing and introducing themselves as Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior they write the Blessing on the doorpost. This is organized through the Parishes.
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Stephanie
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Celebrating the Entire Christmas Season
