Year of Mercy, Christmas, fill pope's calendar
Advent & Christmas Year of Mercy, Christmas, fill pope’s calendar Planning
14
Arlington Catholic Herald | Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2015
By CINDY WOODEN
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ calendar of Masses and prayer services for December and January are a combination of annual Advent and Christmas celebrations and added events for the beginning of the Year of Mercy. In St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass and open the Holy Door, ushering in the Year of Mercy with its emphasis on repentance, forgiveness and the need to go into the world sharing God’s mercy. The same afternoon, he will make the traditional trip to the square by the Spanish Steps in central Rome to lay flowers at the base of a statue of the Immaculate Conception and offer prayers. As he did in 2014 and as Pope Benedict XVI did in 2011, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12. The next morning, he will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran and will open the Holy Door there. U.S. Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, will preside over the opening of the Holy Door at St. Paul’s Dec. 13, the Vatican said.
Paul Haring | CNS
Children carry flowers in procession as Pope Francis concludes the celebration of Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 24, 2014.
The Vatican Nov. 18 released the calendar of the pope’s liturgical celebrations for December and January. The other events include: — Christmas Mass at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 24 in St. Peter’s Basilica. — Christmas blessing urbi et orbi (to the city and the world) at noon Dec. 25 from the central balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. — A special Mass for families Dec. 27, the feast of the
Holy Family, in St. Peter’s Basilica. — Dec. 31 in St. Peter’s Basilica, evening prayer and the singing of the “Te Deum” in thanksgiving for the year that is ending. — Morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Jan. 1, the World Day of Prayer for Peace and the feast of Mary, Mother of God. A group of boys’ choirs, participating in an international conference, will sing at the Mass. — Evening Mass Jan. 1 at the Basilica of St. Mary Major and opening of the Holy Door there. — Mass Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany, in St. Peter’s Basilica. — Mass in the Sistine Chapel and the baptism of infants Jan. 10, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
& Nominate a Charity Please submit your nominations for a worthy charity our staff can support this Christmas. The winner will receive donations and publicity in the Herald. There will be ways our readers can help too! Send nominees to [email protected]. Include the nonprofit’s name, contact info and why they should receive our help.
The deadline is Nov. 30.
Spread the Word! #HeraldAngels
Advent & Christmas A patron saint for children Arlington Catholic Herald | Dec. 3-9, 2015
An entire book could be devoted just to the patrons of children. More saints have been assigned to watch over infants, little boys and girls, and adolescents than any other group, perhaps because they are the most vulnerable members of the human family. The saint with the longest history as patron of children is St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra and one of the most popular saints of all time. The number of churches, chapels, religious institutions, and altars dedicated to him throughout the Christian world defy counting. His cult is still strong in the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church and in the Orthodox Church, but in the West St. Nicholas has suffered a setback. Since the mid-19th century, particularly in the United States, St. Nicholas has been tangled up with Santa Claus; as a result, devotion to Nicholas has di-
minished. It’s hard to pray seriously to someone described as “a right jolly old elf.” It would take too long to explain how St. Nicholas came to be associated with Santa, but interested readers will find the story laid out in two fine books, Charles Thomas J. W. Jones’ Saint Nichoof Myra, Bari, and Craughwell las Manhattan: Biography of Legend, and Stephen Nissenbaum’s The Battle for Christmas. Nicholas was born to a Christian family in Patara in what is now Turkey. He became a priest and eventually was named bishop of Myra. Although his name does not appear on the oldest lists of bishops who attended the Council of Nicaea, a strong tradition among the Greeks insists he was there and even slapped Arius across the face when the heretic was bold enough to assert that God the Son is less than God the Father. Nicholas’ patronage of children comes from an ancient legend that
Planning
tells how he raised from the dead three little boys who had been murdered by an innkeeper. The most popular story about St. Nicholas, one that is still wellknown, tells of his compassion for three poor young women. Their father had lost his fortune and with it all hope of providing dowries for his daughters. To save them from their poverty and the threat of having to support themselves as prostitutes, Nicholas threw bags of gold coins through an open window of the poor family’s house so that each daughter would have enough to make a good marriage. In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks began encroaching on the territory of the Byzantine Empire. By 1084, Myra, the site of the tomb of St. Nicholas, was in Muslim hands. Although the Turks had not defiled the shrine, many Christians in the West thought it scandalous that the relics of St. Nicholas should be in
17 St. Nicholas (died c.350) Feast day: Dec. 6
enemy hands. The Venetians planned to rescue the saint, but in 1087 merchants from Bari in southern Italy got there first. Today the relics of St. Nicholas lie in the crypt of the grand Romanesque basilica the people of Bari built for the saint, and pilgrims — both Catholic and Orthodox — continue to visit the shrine. To celebrate the patron saint of children, it is the custom among the Austrians, Germans, Swiss, Belgians and Dutch to give small gifts and candy to children on St. Nicholas’ Day, making the feast a sweet prelude to Christmas.
Craughwell is the author of Saints Behaving Badly and This Saint Will Change Your Life.
GOSSYPIA
All proceeds benefit Saint Vincent de Paul Society
to help expectant mothers, children and families in need.
Advent & Christmas Reach out to the elderly Planning
14
3rd week of Advent: Dec. 13 Light the rose candle of your family’s advent wreath and use the following prayer to focus your reflection. Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through Christ our Lord. ~AMEN. © Loyola press Brought to you by
•
“
“
Arlington Catholic Herald | Dec. 10-16, 2015
Each year British retailer John Lewis creates a sea- have been virtually forgotten by children and grandsonal buzz with its creative, emotionally charged children caught up in the material distractions that Christmas advertisements. This year the department have come to define the Christmas season in our culstore chain has teamed with Age UK, Great Britain’s ture. The irony is that not only do the elderly deserve largest charity for senior citizens, to raise funds and our attention and care, but spending time with them awareness of the scourge of loneliness among the el- can enrich us even more than it does them. derly today. A heart-wrenching commercial depicts Pope Francis suggests that cultivating meaninga young girl reaching out to an elderly “man on the ful family relationships is not as complicated as we moon” and ends with a simple yet might think. “Love is shown by little haunting slogan: “No one should things,” he said during his final homhave no one at Christmas.” Sr. Constance ily in America. Such simple gestures What does a British ad campaign “get lost amid all the other things we Veit have to do with us? When I saw the do, yet they do make each day differad, it struck me how much it is in ent. They are the quiet things done by synch with Pope Francis’ repeated appeals on behalf mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfaof the older members of our society. thers, by children, by brothers and sisters. They are “It’s brutal to see how the elderly are thrown away,” little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion. he proclaimed earlier this year; “it is a brutal thing, it … Like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after is a sin.” Pope Francis recounted a visit he paid to a we return from a hard day’s work. Love is shown by retirement home one August. He met a woman who little things, by attention to small daily signs which told him about her large family, and when he asked make us feel at home.” her about the last time her children had come to visit Age UK and other charities devoted to the elderly she replied, “for Christmas.” “Eight months without began reporting a significant upswing in donations being visited by her children — abandoned for eight and gestures of solidarity toward the elderly as soon months!” he exclaimed. “This is called mortal sin!” as the John Lewis ad appeared on television and soOur Holy Father issued a similar plea during the cial media. If a secular ad campaign can inspire thouFestival of Families in Philadelphia earlier this year: sands of people in Great Britain to be more attentive “We have to care in a special way for children and to lonely seniors this Christmas, how much more for grandparents. … Taking care of grandparents and should Pope Francis’ words and example during his taking care of children is the sign of love — I’m not visit to the United States motivate us to reach out to sure if it is the greatest, but for the family I would say the elderly with our caring presence this Christmas that it is the most promising — because it promises and throughout the new year dedicated to mercy. the future. A people incapable of caring for children Such familial love and solidarity would be a most and caring for the elderly is a people without a future, beautiful and lasting fruit of Pope Francis’ first visit because it lacks the strength and the memory needed to our nation. to move forward.” Let’s make sure that no one has no one this Christmas is the perfect time to take our Holy Fa- Christmas. ther’s urgings to heart. The holidays can be lonely and stressful for many people — even more so for Sr. Constance is director of communications for the Little the elderly who have limited mobility and limited re- Sisters of the Poor. sources, who have outlived their loved ones, or who
Trim the Family Tree in matching Premium PJs
Pantone 207 Match C: 0 M: 100 Y: 65 K: 31 Pantone Cool Grey 7 Match C: 0 M: 1 Y: 5 K: 39
Pantone 207 Pantone Cool Grey 7
FREE Gift Packaging !
Call 1.800.783.8129
or visit PajamaGram.com/holiday to order.
14
Arlington Catholic Herald | Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2015
By CINDY WOODEN
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ calendar of Masses and prayer services for December and January are a combination of annual Advent and Christmas celebrations and added events for the beginning of the Year of Mercy. In St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass and open the Holy Door, ushering in the Year of Mercy with its emphasis on repentance, forgiveness and the need to go into the world sharing God’s mercy. The same afternoon, he will make the traditional trip to the square by the Spanish Steps in central Rome to lay flowers at the base of a statue of the Immaculate Conception and offer prayers. As he did in 2014 and as Pope Benedict XVI did in 2011, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12. The next morning, he will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran and will open the Holy Door there. U.S. Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, will preside over the opening of the Holy Door at St. Paul’s Dec. 13, the Vatican said.
Paul Haring | CNS
Children carry flowers in procession as Pope Francis concludes the celebration of Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 24, 2014.
The Vatican Nov. 18 released the calendar of the pope’s liturgical celebrations for December and January. The other events include: — Christmas Mass at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 24 in St. Peter’s Basilica. — Christmas blessing urbi et orbi (to the city and the world) at noon Dec. 25 from the central balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. — A special Mass for families Dec. 27, the feast of the
Holy Family, in St. Peter’s Basilica. — Dec. 31 in St. Peter’s Basilica, evening prayer and the singing of the “Te Deum” in thanksgiving for the year that is ending. — Morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Jan. 1, the World Day of Prayer for Peace and the feast of Mary, Mother of God. A group of boys’ choirs, participating in an international conference, will sing at the Mass. — Evening Mass Jan. 1 at the Basilica of St. Mary Major and opening of the Holy Door there. — Mass Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany, in St. Peter’s Basilica. — Mass in the Sistine Chapel and the baptism of infants Jan. 10, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
& Nominate a Charity Please submit your nominations for a worthy charity our staff can support this Christmas. The winner will receive donations and publicity in the Herald. There will be ways our readers can help too! Send nominees to [email protected]. Include the nonprofit’s name, contact info and why they should receive our help.
The deadline is Nov. 30.
Spread the Word! #HeraldAngels
Advent & Christmas A patron saint for children Arlington Catholic Herald | Dec. 3-9, 2015
An entire book could be devoted just to the patrons of children. More saints have been assigned to watch over infants, little boys and girls, and adolescents than any other group, perhaps because they are the most vulnerable members of the human family. The saint with the longest history as patron of children is St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra and one of the most popular saints of all time. The number of churches, chapels, religious institutions, and altars dedicated to him throughout the Christian world defy counting. His cult is still strong in the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church and in the Orthodox Church, but in the West St. Nicholas has suffered a setback. Since the mid-19th century, particularly in the United States, St. Nicholas has been tangled up with Santa Claus; as a result, devotion to Nicholas has di-
minished. It’s hard to pray seriously to someone described as “a right jolly old elf.” It would take too long to explain how St. Nicholas came to be associated with Santa, but interested readers will find the story laid out in two fine books, Charles Thomas J. W. Jones’ Saint Nichoof Myra, Bari, and Craughwell las Manhattan: Biography of Legend, and Stephen Nissenbaum’s The Battle for Christmas. Nicholas was born to a Christian family in Patara in what is now Turkey. He became a priest and eventually was named bishop of Myra. Although his name does not appear on the oldest lists of bishops who attended the Council of Nicaea, a strong tradition among the Greeks insists he was there and even slapped Arius across the face when the heretic was bold enough to assert that God the Son is less than God the Father. Nicholas’ patronage of children comes from an ancient legend that
Planning
tells how he raised from the dead three little boys who had been murdered by an innkeeper. The most popular story about St. Nicholas, one that is still wellknown, tells of his compassion for three poor young women. Their father had lost his fortune and with it all hope of providing dowries for his daughters. To save them from their poverty and the threat of having to support themselves as prostitutes, Nicholas threw bags of gold coins through an open window of the poor family’s house so that each daughter would have enough to make a good marriage. In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks began encroaching on the territory of the Byzantine Empire. By 1084, Myra, the site of the tomb of St. Nicholas, was in Muslim hands. Although the Turks had not defiled the shrine, many Christians in the West thought it scandalous that the relics of St. Nicholas should be in
17 St. Nicholas (died c.350) Feast day: Dec. 6
enemy hands. The Venetians planned to rescue the saint, but in 1087 merchants from Bari in southern Italy got there first. Today the relics of St. Nicholas lie in the crypt of the grand Romanesque basilica the people of Bari built for the saint, and pilgrims — both Catholic and Orthodox — continue to visit the shrine. To celebrate the patron saint of children, it is the custom among the Austrians, Germans, Swiss, Belgians and Dutch to give small gifts and candy to children on St. Nicholas’ Day, making the feast a sweet prelude to Christmas.
Craughwell is the author of Saints Behaving Badly and This Saint Will Change Your Life.
GOSSYPIA
All proceeds benefit Saint Vincent de Paul Society
to help expectant mothers, children and families in need.
Advent & Christmas Reach out to the elderly Planning
14
3rd week of Advent: Dec. 13 Light the rose candle of your family’s advent wreath and use the following prayer to focus your reflection. Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through Christ our Lord. ~AMEN. © Loyola press Brought to you by
•
“
“
Arlington Catholic Herald | Dec. 10-16, 2015
Each year British retailer John Lewis creates a sea- have been virtually forgotten by children and grandsonal buzz with its creative, emotionally charged children caught up in the material distractions that Christmas advertisements. This year the department have come to define the Christmas season in our culstore chain has teamed with Age UK, Great Britain’s ture. The irony is that not only do the elderly deserve largest charity for senior citizens, to raise funds and our attention and care, but spending time with them awareness of the scourge of loneliness among the el- can enrich us even more than it does them. derly today. A heart-wrenching commercial depicts Pope Francis suggests that cultivating meaninga young girl reaching out to an elderly “man on the ful family relationships is not as complicated as we moon” and ends with a simple yet might think. “Love is shown by little haunting slogan: “No one should things,” he said during his final homhave no one at Christmas.” Sr. Constance ily in America. Such simple gestures What does a British ad campaign “get lost amid all the other things we Veit have to do with us? When I saw the do, yet they do make each day differad, it struck me how much it is in ent. They are the quiet things done by synch with Pope Francis’ repeated appeals on behalf mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfaof the older members of our society. thers, by children, by brothers and sisters. They are “It’s brutal to see how the elderly are thrown away,” little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion. he proclaimed earlier this year; “it is a brutal thing, it … Like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after is a sin.” Pope Francis recounted a visit he paid to a we return from a hard day’s work. Love is shown by retirement home one August. He met a woman who little things, by attention to small daily signs which told him about her large family, and when he asked make us feel at home.” her about the last time her children had come to visit Age UK and other charities devoted to the elderly she replied, “for Christmas.” “Eight months without began reporting a significant upswing in donations being visited by her children — abandoned for eight and gestures of solidarity toward the elderly as soon months!” he exclaimed. “This is called mortal sin!” as the John Lewis ad appeared on television and soOur Holy Father issued a similar plea during the cial media. If a secular ad campaign can inspire thouFestival of Families in Philadelphia earlier this year: sands of people in Great Britain to be more attentive “We have to care in a special way for children and to lonely seniors this Christmas, how much more for grandparents. … Taking care of grandparents and should Pope Francis’ words and example during his taking care of children is the sign of love — I’m not visit to the United States motivate us to reach out to sure if it is the greatest, but for the family I would say the elderly with our caring presence this Christmas that it is the most promising — because it promises and throughout the new year dedicated to mercy. the future. A people incapable of caring for children Such familial love and solidarity would be a most and caring for the elderly is a people without a future, beautiful and lasting fruit of Pope Francis’ first visit because it lacks the strength and the memory needed to our nation. to move forward.” Let’s make sure that no one has no one this Christmas is the perfect time to take our Holy Fa- Christmas. ther’s urgings to heart. The holidays can be lonely and stressful for many people — even more so for Sr. Constance is director of communications for the Little the elderly who have limited mobility and limited re- Sisters of the Poor. sources, who have outlived their loved ones, or who
Trim the Family Tree in matching Premium PJs
Pantone 207 Match C: 0 M: 100 Y: 65 K: 31 Pantone Cool Grey 7 Match C: 0 M: 1 Y: 5 K: 39
Pantone 207 Pantone Cool Grey 7
FREE Gift Packaging !
Call 1.800.783.8129
or visit PajamaGram.com/holiday to order.
