Advent and Other (International) Celebrations at the Motherhouse
You know that saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun”? Well, my brother says, “Time flies when
you’re old.” As for me I must be both
having fun and getting old! Here we are
already 10 days into Advent – Happy Advent! – and feeling (falling) behind or catching
up. …but all is good!
The month of December seems to quickly get filled up with all
sort of events. Fortunately, the Church
has Advent, a time of awareness of the true Reason for the Season and can pull
us from the commercialized hustle and bustle of Black Friday sales and shopping
crowds.
We, of course, celebrate the Advent Season with the Church here
at Marywood, but we also celebrate each of the following Feast Days one way
or another. As I was gathered
information and a summary on each one of these, I noticed how international
these are. Below is a brief summary
of December Feast Days (Source: Wikipedia):
December 6 – Feast of St
Nicholas:
Very little is known about the historical Saint
Nicholas. The earliest accounts of his life were written centuries after his
death and contain many legendary elaborations. He is said to have been born in
the Greek seaport of Patara, Lycia in Asia Minor to wealthy
Christian parents. In one of the earliest attested and most famous
incidents from his life, he is said to have rescued three girls from being
forced into prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of
their house each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for
each of them. We left our shoes out on the Eve of the Feast
of St Nicholas and we were not disappointed, as we each received a nice treat! 😊
December 8 – Feast of the
Immaculate Conception: In 2008 we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Blessed
Virgin’s apparitions at Lourdes, France where she identified herself to St.
Bernadette as the Immaculate Conception. In 2004 we observed the 150th
anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s solemn definition of this dogma on
December 8, 1854. Because
December 8th fell on a Sunday this year, the Feast was celebrated on
Monday, December 9th.
December 9 – Feast of Saint Juan Diego: Saint Juan Diego
Cuauhtlatoatzin, also known as Juan Diego (1474–1548), a native
of Mexico, is the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas.
He is said to have been granted an apparition of the Virgin Mary on
four separate occasions in December 1531 at the hill of Tepeyac, then a rural
area but now within the borders of Mexico City.
Juan Diego was beatified in 1990 and canonized in 2002. As mentioned above, this year
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception took precedence.
December 12 – Feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe:
If you do not
know the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, she appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico
in 1531, and this is the only apparition of Mary in which she has left an image
of her appearance on his tilma (a cloak made of cactus fiber). Similar
cloths tested have become ruined by the local moist and salty air in a period
of 10 years. The original image is in Mexico City. I was blessed to have the opportunity to
visit her at the Basílica in 1980. There
are several books written about Our Lady of Guadalupe. We will have ‘Las Mañanitas’ at Aquinata Hall in St Catherine of
Siena Chapel this Thursday, December 12th following by Liturgy of
the Eucharist.
December 16 – 24 Posadas: Las
Posadas is a novena (nine days of religious observance)
celebrated chiefly
in Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, and by many Hispanics in the United
States Beginning 16 December and ending
24 December, two people dress up as Mary and Joseph. Certain houses are
designated to be an "inn" (thus the name "Posada"). The
head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lampshade. At each
house, the resident responds by singing a song and Mary and Joseph are finally
recognized and allowed to enter. Once the "innkeepers" let them in,
the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to
pray (typically, the Rosary). Latin
American countries have continued to celebrate this holiday to this day, with
very few changes to the tradition. In
some places, the final location may be a church instead of a home. The people asking for posada travel to 1
house each night for 9 nights
.
Earlier
this month, Sr. Angelina Gonzales gave a wonderful presentation on Los Posadas
at Aquinata Hall.
December 17 – 23 O Antiphons: The O Antiphons, also known as “The Great ‘O’s” are
Magnificat used at Vespers of the last seven days
of Advent in Western Christian traditions. They are also used as
the Alleluia Verses on the same days in the post-1970 form of the Catholic
Mass.
They are referred to as the "O Antiphons" because the
title of each one begins with the vocative particle "O". Each
antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture.
They are:
·
17 December: O
Sapientia (O Wisdom)
·
18 December: O Adonai (O Lord)
·
19 December: O Radix
Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
·
20 December: O Clavis
David (O Key of David)
·
21 December: O Oriens
(O Dayspring)
·
22 December: O Rex
Gentium (O King of the Nations)
·
23 December: O
Emmanuel (O God is With Us)
The first letters of the titles, from last to
first, appear to form a Latin acrostic which translates to "Tomorrow,
I will be [there]", mirroring the theme of the antiphons. "According to Robert
Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine
monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose.
If one starts with the last title and takes the
first letter of each one – Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia
– the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning,
"Tomorrow, I will come". Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we
have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic
titles, now speaks to us, Tomorrow, I will come. So, the O Antiphons not only bring
intensity to our Advent preparation but bring it to a joyful conclusion. At Dominican Chapel Marywood,
each evening begins with a contemplative
candlelight procession, then moves into the singing of hymns and psalms; the
proclamation of scripture; and a reflection on the theme of each sacred
evening. Join us in union with the global community, as we wait in holy
anticipation. Free to the community -
all are welcome. Come to one or all evenings. For more information, go to this
link:
Do you celebrate any of these with your family
or at your parish?
Advent Blessings!
Are you discerning Religious Life?
Do you wish to speak with someone about your discernment?
Call us! Visit
us! Email us!
Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids
2025 Fulton Street East
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
