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ADVENT SOME USEFUL FACTS

In 2015, Advent begins on Sunday, November 29 and ends on Thursday, December 24.

The word Advent has its roots in the Latin ‘adventus’ meaning arrival or coming.

There are always four Sundays in Advent

Advent has a two-fold purpose. We prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, promised by God. We are also preparing for the time when Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead, the Second Coming. (L4)

Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s Liturgical Year. The Liturgical Year is celebrated in seasons Advent, Christmas Season, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter Season, Ordinary Time (L3)

Advent and Christmas are the times when the Church prepares to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. (L1, 2 & 3)

At Christmas God fulfils his promise to send Jesus into our world, to be with us, to bring us happiness and peace. (L4)

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IMPORTANT DATES IN ADVENT 2015

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT NOVEMBER 29

Feast of Saint Nicholas December 6 SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 6 Immaculate Conception December 8 BEGINNING OF THE EXTRAORDINARY DECEMBER 8

JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY Our Lady of Guadalupe December 12 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 13 Feast of Saint Lucy December 13 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 20

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PRAYER SPACES FOR ADVENT

Week 1 Purple Cloth or crepe paper Advent Wreath Bible open to Lk 21. The gospel for the First Sunday of Advent is Luke 21:25-28; 34-36 Crib figures could be placed around the classroom beginning their journey to Bethlehem

Week 2 Purple Cloth or crepe paper Advent Wreath Bible open to Lk 3. The gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent is Luke 3:1-6 A statue or picture of Mary for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Pictures of St Nicholas An empty crib

Week 3 Purple Cloth or crepe paper Advent Wreath Bible open to Lk 3. The gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent is Luke 3:10-18 Pictures of John the Baptist, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Some figures might be added to the crib

Week 4 Purple Cloth or crepe paper Advent Wreath Bible open to Lk 1. The gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is Luke 1:39-44 Complete the crib

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GETTING READY TO WELCOME JESUS, OUR SAVIOUR We all have our favourite traditions, as we get ready for Christmas. Families have rituals surrounding writing letters to Santa, choosing and putting up the Christmas tree, the buying, wrapping and placing of presents, the making of the Christmas pudding; the list could go on and on. As Christians we also have traditions and rituals that help us to think about the real reason that we celebrate Christmas. The season of Advent helps us to get ready to welcome Jesus, the Son of God, and our Saviour. The following are some of the ways that we can help the students in our classroom focus on what Christmas is really about. These are based on the concepts and knowledge outlined by the Catholic Pre-School and Primary Religious Education Curriculum for Ireland. The appropriate levels are given for each concept.

THE ADVENT WREATH (L1 & L2) FOR THE TEACHER: Light has always been a symbol of hope in the darkness. We know that the people of the Stone Age built Newgrange to show them that the darkest days of winter were over. Long before Jesus was born the people of Eastern Europe made wreaths of evergreen branches and added lighted candles as a sign of hope in the dark days of winter. In northern European countries lights were placed on wheels and prayers were offered to the god of light to turn the wheel of the earth back towards the sun. By the 1500s Christians had adapted this tradition and were using Advent Wreaths as part of their preparation for Christmas. They were remembering what Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ (Jn 8:12) By the 17th century the Advent Wreath was used throughout Germany to mark the time spent waiting for the birth of the Christ child at Christmas. From Germany this tradition spread to the rest of the world.

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THE ADVENT WREATH EXPLAINED A CIRCLE OF EVERGREEN The wreath is circular in shape to show the everlasting love of God, a love that has no beginning or end. Evergreen leaves such as holly, laurel, ivy, spruce or pine are used also help us to remember that God loves us always. 4 CANDLES THREE PURPLE AND ONE PINK There is a candle for each of the four weeks of Advent. There is also a tradition that says the each week of Advent represents a thousand years, so that the four weeks add up to the four thousand years from Adam and Eve until the birth of Jesus, the saviour of the world.

The purple candles remind us that Advent is a time when we are asked to pray, look for forgiveness and help others who are not as lucky are we are. The pink candle is lit on the Third Sunday of Advent which is also called Gaudete Sunday. This means Joyful Sunday or the Sunday of Rejoicing. We rejoice because we are more than half way through our preparation for Christmas. CLASSROOM RESOURCES The following are suggestions for helping the children understand the Advent Wreath and the way it helps us as we prepare for the birth of Jesus. ALL LEVELS: MAKING AN ADVENT WREATH INFANT TEACHERS: Grow in Love Senior Infant Teacher Book (p92) has three options for making Advent Wreaths ALL CLASSROOM TEACHERS: There are lots of different ways of making an Advent Wreath and many of these can be found in previous Advent Resources; www.kandle.ie/resources/primary-resources/ This year consider making a traditional advent wreath using a florist’s wreath, candles and evergreen leaves collected on an ADVENT WALK by the children. Each classroom can make their own wreath and one class might take responsibility for the school wreath to be placed in the school Prayer Space. Where possible, all classroom wreaths could be blessed at a School Assembly On November 27 or 30.

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LEVEL 1: There is a picture of an Advent Wreath to colour on page 6. Talk to the children about the wreath, its shape, the significance of the four candles and the colours used. Use the colouring activity to help consolidate their learning. Display the Advent Wreaths as part of your Advent Prayer Space this year. LEVEL 2: Picture of Advent Wreath to colour. Talk to the children about the wreath, its shape and the significance of the four candles as the way we count the four weeks during which we wait for Christmas. Talk about the different colours of candles used and how they are lit in order. Use the activity on page 10 to consolidate learning. Consider sending home the page with a note asking parents/guardians to help their child hang up their picture and colour a candle each week of Advent. ALL LEVELS: Where possible, all classroom wreaths and the school wreath could be blessed at a School Assembly using the text on pages 8-10 on November 27 or 30.

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Can you count the candles? Circle the right number: 1 2 3 4 5 6 What colour are the candles? Circle the right colours: Red Pink Yellow Purple Green

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ASSEMBLY TO BLESS THE ADVENT WREATH

This Prayer Service can be used as a school assembly at which all of the Advent wreaths in the school can be blessed or in individual classrooms. If your chaplain is available you might invite him to bless the wreath/s using holy water.

LEADER: We begin our prayer today as we begin all our prayer by

marking ourselves with the sign of our faith ALL: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit Amen LEADER: This week the season of Advent begins. Advent helps us to

get ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. We have made Advent wreaths for our classroom/s and our school to remind us that Jesus comes to bring light to the darkness, the light of God’s love for each one of us.

Students carry in and place the advent wreaths in the designated place READER 1: The Advent Wreath is in the shape of a circle because just

like a circle God’s live had no beginning and no end. READER 2: There are evergreen leaves on our wreath because just like

these leaves that are always green, God’s love for us is everlasting.

LEADER: Lord our God, bless this wreath and bless all of us gathered

You Will Need • Children to carry the Advent wreath/s • Table/s on which to place the Advent wreaths • Four A3 sized Signs

o Love o Peace o Joy o Hope

• Four Children, one to hold each sign • Six Readers

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here today. May this wreath help us to focus on the coming of Jesus as we journey through Advent. As we light the candles each week may we be reminded of the love, peace, joy and hope that Jesus brings into the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

ALL: AMEN

STUDENT 1 HOLDS UP THE FIRST SIGN WITH WORD HOPE READER 3: Today we light the first purple candle.

This candle reminds us that Jesus is our hope that the light will come and conquer the darkness

LIGHT THE FIRST PURPLE CANDLE

LEADER: Let us thank God for Jesus, the light of the world ALL: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

STUDENT 2 HOLDS UP THE SECOND SIGN WITH WORD PEACE

READER 4: Next week, we will light the first and the second purple

candles. The second purple candle represents the gift of peace that Jesus brings to our world.

LEADER: Our world needs the peace that only Jesus can bring. Let us

pray for peace in the world and for all of us as we say: ALL: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

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STUDENT 3 HOLDS UP THE THIRD SIGN WITH WORD JOY

READER 5: In two weeks, we will light three candles two purple and one pink. The pink or rose-colored candle is for joy. Joy because we know that that Jesus will soon be here.

LEADER: Lord Jesus, help us to wait in joyful hope for your coming at

Christmas. Together we pray…

ALL: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

STUDENT 4 HOLDS UP THE FOURTH SIGN WITH WORD LOVE Reader 6: As our Advent journey comes to an end we will light all four

candles. This final candle represents love. God loves us so much that he gives us the gift of Jesus at Christmas. Jesus came to show us how to live and love like children of God.

LEADER: We thank God for the gift of Jesus as we pray… ALL: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit… LEADER: Our Advent journey begins today and we pray that it will be

a time filled with hope, peace, joy and love as we wait for the coming of the best gift of all, the gift of Jesus.

Let us bless the Lord ALL: Thanks be to God ALL: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit: Amen

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ADVENT CALENDAR (L3)

HISTORY OF THE ADVENT CALENDAR: Advent calendars have been used to count the days until Christmas since the mid-1800s. The tradition began in Germany when families made chalk marks on doors or put small religious pictures on the wall to countdown to Christmas. In the early 1900s a man named Gerhard Lang is believed to have printed the first Advent calendar. He based it on one his mother had made for him when he was child. She stuck 24 pictures on a piece of cardboard. Later these little pictures were made into the little doors that we are familiar with today. President Dwight D Eisenhower is credited with bringing the Advent calendar to the United States when he was photographed opening a calendar with his grandchildren. Today there are Advent calendars of every sort. Many of them have nothing to do with the religious celebration of Christmas. Most of these calendars begin on December 1 and finish on December 24. A religiously themed Advent calendar would begin on the first Sunday of Advent and finish on Christmas Day. LEVEL 3: THE ADVENT CALENDAR Discuss with the children the various types of Advent calendars that are on sale this year.

• Do they or their brothers and sisters have an Advent calendar at home? • What kind of calendars do they have? Is there a must have calendar this

year? • Look at some calendars online? What seems to be the most popular

one? • What do they think an Advent calendar is used for? Is it just to count

down the days until Christmas or could it have another purpose? • Could it help us to get ready to for the real meaning of Christmas, to

celebrate the birth of Jesus?

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• If we were to design a calendar that would help us get ready for the birth of Jesus what would it look like? When would it begin? When would it end?

MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL OR CLASS ADVENT CALENDAR Use the template on page 13 to help the children make their own individual calendars or you might like to make a bigger version for the classroom. The first week is filled in with activities for each day. They can tick or colour in the box as they complete the activity. GROUP ACTIVITY Encourage the children to think of something that they can do for the remaining days to complete the calendar.

• Divide the class into groups and assign each group a specific week on the calendar.

• Ask them to think of activity for each day of the week and appoint a recorder and reporter

• Record the responses from each group excluding any duplicate activities.

• If there are extra activities needed because of duplicates brainstorm with the whole class to fill the blank days.

• Get the class to fill in their individual calendars or fill in the classroom calendar

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Advent Calendar 2015

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 29 First Sunday of Advent Take time to say a prayer today

30 St Andrew Do your best to be patient with someone today

1 Invite someone who is left out to play with you on the yard today

2 Work hard today in everything you do

3 St Francis Xavier Send someone you care about a text or call them today

4 Be grateful for all you have today and say thank you to those who help you

5 Help out at home today without being asked

6 Second Sunday

7 8 Immaculate Conception Year of Mercy Begins

9 10 11 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe

13 Third Sunday

14 15 16 17 18 19

20 Fourth Sunday

21 22 23 24 Christmas Eve

25 Christmas Day

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ADVENT THE LITURGICAL YEAR BEGINS (L3 & L4) SOME FACTS ABOUT THE CHURCH YEAR

• The Church year begins on the first Sunday of Advent and ends on the Feast of Christ the King.

• The Church year is divided into different seasons just like the calendar year.

• We can tell which season we are in by the different coloured vestments that the priest wears when celebrating Mass

In Advent the priest wears purple, the colour of royalty. This reminds us that we are waiting to welcome Christ, the King. The same colour is worn during Lent.

White or gold vestments are worn for the seasons of Christmas and Easter, times of great joy in the Church Year. These colours are also worn for the Feasts of Our Lord, such as the Baptism of The Lord and for Feasts of Mary such as the Immaculate Conception, which we celebrate during Advent.

In Ordinary Time the priest wears green. Green is a symbol of life and hope. Red, colour of blood, is worn on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, those days when we celebrate the passion of Jesus. Red is also the colour of fire which reminds us of the Holy Spirit. So, red vestments are worn on the Feast of Pentecost and for the sacrament of Confirmation.

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THE CHURCH YEAR IS ALSO CALLED THE LITURGICAL YEAR. There are three Liturgical Years A, B, and C. In each of these three years we hear the story of Jesus’, birth, life, death and resurrection told from the point of view of the different writers of the Gospel. In Year A most of the Gospels are from Matthew, in Year B from Mark and in Year C from Luke. John’s Gospel can be heard in all three years mostly during the Easter Season. This year in Advent we begin Year C!

LEVEL 3 & 4 ACTIVITIES THE LITURGICAL YEAR Use the information on pages 14 and 15 to help the children understand the colours and structure of the Liturgical Year. The activities on pages 18 and 19 will help consolidate their learning.

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Colours of the Liturgical Year Colour each section of the wheel

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Test your Knowledge

1. What date is the first Sunday of Advent this year?

2. How many Sundays are there in Advent?

3. What day of the week is Christmas day this year?

4. What is the season of Advent for?

5. What colour vestment does the priest wear on Christmas Day?

6. What season of the Church Year follows the Christmas season?

7. What colour vestment does the priest wear in Ordinary Time?

8. When does the Church year end?

9. How many Liturgical Years are there?

10. Can you name them?

11. What is the last day of the Church year called?

12. What colour vestment does the priest wear on the Feast of Pentecost?

13. Which gospel do we listen to most this Liturgical Year?

14. What colour vestment does the priest wear on the Feast of the

Immaculate Conception?

15. The priest wears purple vestments in which seasons?

16. In Year A of the Liturgical Year, the gospels are mostly from

17. What colour vestments will the priest wear on the first Sunday of

Advent?

18. When are white vestments worn?

19. Which gospel do we listen to during Year B

20. How many Sundays are in the Lenten season?

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THE JESSE TREE (L4)

We all love to decorate our Christmas trees as part of our preparation for this wonderful time of year. But, did you know that there is another kind of tree that we can decorate as we prepare for Christmas. It’s called the Jesse Tree and it is decorated with ornaments illustrated with pictures of the key people and events leading up to the birth of Jesus. The Jesse Tree tells the story of God’s love for God’s people from the very beginning right up to the moment that God’s Son, Jesus, the Messiah, is born among us. Its name comes from Jesse, who was the father of King David. Jesse and King David were ancestors of Jesus. The Jesse tree shows us more of the important people in the Old Testament. It shows us how long they waited for a king. We know that Jesus is the king that God promised to send. We use the Jesse Tree to remind us of God’s promise. MAKING A JESSE TREE FOR THE CLASSROOM Jesse trees are usually made using a dead branch, but you can also use a Christmas tree, or draw the outline of a tree, like the one in the picture, on a poster sized page. Ornaments can be hung every day and the accompanying piece of scripture can be read. ORNAMENTS FOR THE JESSE TREE Group Activity In the table on the next page you will find a scripture story for each day of Advent. Divide the children into 4 groups and assign a week of stories to each group Tell them to read each of the stories. Their task is to

• decide on a suitable symbol for each story • Design and make an ornament for the Jesse Tree using the symbol

Printable ornament templates can also be downloaded from many sites on line including http://theroadtochristmas.com/jesse-tree-symbols,

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http://paperdali.blogspot.ie/ (payment required) http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19971201/FRIDGE/FRIDGE1.HTM

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Creation Gen 1, 2:1-3

Noah Gen 6:9

The Call of Abraham Gen 12:1-5

Abraham and Isaac Gen 22:1-14

Jacob’s Dream Gen 28:10-22

Joseph and his brothers Gen 37:1-9

God calls Moses Exodus 3:1-6

The Israelites Exodus 12:1-11

Commandments Exodus 24:12-18

Joshua Joshua 6:1-5

Deborah Judges 4:4-9

Samuel 1Samuel 3

David 1Samuel 6:10-13

Solomon 1Kings3:9-14

Isaiah Isaiah 6:8

Jeremiah Jeremiah 1:11-13

Daniel Daniel 6

Joel Joel 2:1-14

Jonah Jonah 1:2-4, 12, 15-17

John the Baptist Mt 3:1-6

Mary Luke 1:26-38

Elizabeth Lk 1:39-56

Joseph Lk 2:1-4

Shepherds Lk 2:8-20

The Magi Mt2:1-12

Manger Lk2:7

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THE CRIB ALL LEVELS ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND THE CRIB L2 & L3

The first Christmas Crib dates back to St. Francis of Assisi whose Feast Day we celebrate on October 4. In 1293 Francis had an idea. He wanted to show the people of Greccio, near Assisi, what it was like when Jesus was born. He wanted to tell them the story of the first Christmas in a different way.

Francis has a very good friend called John who lived in the town of Greccio. About two weeks before Christmas he went to visit him and asked for his help. Francis told John that he wanted him to get hay, a donkey and an ox and to bring them to a place in the woods that he had chosen. John did what Francis asked. Lots of people helped John get ready and the news about what Francis was doing spread all around the neighbourhood.

On Christmas Eve all Francis’ Brothers and the people of the neighbourhood gathered around the crib. They bought candles and torches to brighten the night. St. Francis arrived and saw that everything had been prepared. The crib was ready, the hay, the ox and the donkey were put in place. It was just like they were in Bethlehem. The crowds prayed and Mass was celebrated St. Francis’ idea of bringing Bethlehem to every town spread quickly all over the world and soon there were Christmas cribs in churches and homes.

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This blessing prayer could be cut out to become the star for the crib this year.

Prayer to bless the Crib

We praise and thank you, O God,

for the gift of Jesus. Bless this Crib and bless each

one of us. Help us to remember to share

Jesus’ light and love with all the world.

May we always be thankful for all the gifts you

have given us. Amen

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CRIB TRADITIONS Straw for the Crib There is a tradition that families used to put straw into the empty crib as a way of beginning to get ready to welcome Jesus on Christmas morning. Each member of the family put a piece of straw in very evening until finally there was enough straw to make the crib comfortable. Each piece of straw represented something good that they had done during the day as a way of preparing to welcome Jesus. They would then place the donkey and ox into the crib, Mary and Joseph and finally an empty manger into which the baby Jesus would be placed on Christmas morning. Classroom Activity All Levels BUILDING A CRIB FOR JESUS Place the empty crib in your Prayer Space during the first week of Advent Using shredded paper the children could be encouraged to write or draw something good that they have done on a strip of paper each day for the first two weeks of Advent. Alternatively, you could have a bundle of shredded paper on your desk and each time a child makes a special effort you could give them a piece to put into the crib. Place the crib figures at different places in the classroom and move them closer to the crib each day as they journey towards Bethlehem. During the third and fourth weeks the figures could gradually begin to arrive in the crib.

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Circle and colour the people you will find in the Crib

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MARY AND JOSEPH GET READY TO WELCOME BABY JESUS Number the sentences 1 – 7 so that the story is in the right order

Mary and Joseph lived in a town called Nazareth

They were getting ready to have a new baby

Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, to tell her about the new baby. Elizabeth was very happy.

Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, to tell her about the new baby. Elizabeth was very happy.

A man came to the town and told everyone that they had to be counted.

Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem. Mary went on a donkey because it was too far for her to walk.

When Mary and Joseph got to Bethlehem, it was very busy. They looked for somewhere to stay. There was no room anywhere. At last they found a stable where they could wait for the baby to be born.

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ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH!

Angels are messengers from God and as we prepare for Christmas we see how God used his angels to bring important messages to many of the people in the Christmas story.

• At the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said: ‘Do not be afraid, God is pleased that you will have a son; his name will be Jesus’. (Lk 1:30)

• An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him not to be afraid and

to take Mary as his wife, because she was going to have a baby boy and they must call him Jesus. (Mt 1:20-24)

• When the baby Jesus was born, the shepherds were on the hillside

watching their sheep when an angel appeared to them and the whole sky lit up. The angel announced to them the birth of the baby Jesus by singing, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to people of good will” (Lk 2:8-14). This is the first line of the Gloria that we pray at Mass.

• After the three kings left the baby Jesus, an angel appeared to Joseph in

a dream and told him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt because King Herod was trying to kill the baby. Joseph did as God asked. (Mt 3:13)

• While the Holy Family were in Egypt Joseph had another dream and an angel told him that it was safe for him to bring Mary and Jesus back to Israel. (Mt 3: 19-20)

TO DO: In your Bible find all the references to angels that are highlighted in purple on this page. Write the story of one of these encounters with angels in your own words. Illustrate the story.