Dear Parents,
Last Sunday began the Church’s New Year with the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is the four week period Christians dedicate to making our hearts ready to receive Jesus anew. The Advent season is filled with preparation and expectation. Everyone is getting ready for the more secular trappings of Christmas. It is easy to become so busy with the material preparations that we lose sight of the real reason for our activity: the Word made flesh coming to dwell among us. As Christians, we are urged to preserve the spiritual focus of Christmas amidst our prevalent secular and consumer-driven society.
As we strive to impart this message at school, I hope you will support your children’s learning by asking them about the Advent lessons they are having in their religion classes. In the coming weeks I will be writing about some Catholic Advent traditions that you may want to add to your own family’s observance.
At St. Rose we do everything possible to keep the season of Advent separate from the more celebratory season of Christmas. We do not have Christmas parties before the break. Instead, our room parents provide Epiphany parties in each classroom when we return in January. This helps the students to understand that Christmas is a season, not just a single day.
The scripture at Sunday Mass is particularly rich and evocative during the Advent season. If you do not already have a habit of attending Mass, Advent is a great time to start.
Kathy Ryan
Principal
