Advent season offers occasion for learning, preparing spiritually

By Kenny Keane, Globe staff reporter
Posted December 12, 2002

A common theme in many conversations about Christmas nowadays is that it has become too commercialized.

However, a few schools in particular in the Sioux City Diocese are reminding their students of the true meaning of Christmas during the Advent season.

At St. John the Baptist School in Bancroft, all of the students gather together once a week for a reading about the different items that make up a manger scene. The scene, which is made out of corrugated cardboard, was created and donated to the school by Erma Brandenburg, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist Church in Bancroft, and it has added a new element to the school's celebration of Advent.

"We read a little bit about each item, and then we put the item up on the board," said Lynn Miller, principal at St. John's. "It's a way for the kids to learn more about the different parts of Advent and the coming of Jesus. We talk about how lucky we are at St. John's in that most of us have everything that we need in life and that it's good to give to people who aren't so fortunate."

Miller said St. John's adopts a couple families every year to provide presents for children who are less fortunate. He said it is very overwhelming to see the outpouring of generosity from the students and their parents.

This idea is not unique, however, as Holy Cross School in Vail is collecting money to buy presents for those children who otherwise would not receive any.

"Here we stress with the students that instead of getting for Christmas they learn to give," said C. J. Leise, secretary at Holy Cross. "We don't do a gift exchange among the students, and the parents like that a lot better."

Leise said the students also have a daily ritual during Advent of leading the rosary in their classrooms, lighting the Advent wreaths, singing Advent songs and reciting Advent prayers.

The Gospel value of prayer is the focus of this Advent season for Gehlen Catholic Schools in Le Mars,  according to Cecilia Henrich, director of mission effectiveness (DME) at Gehlen.

"Every Monday during Advent, we have an Advent prayer service, which includes the traditional lighting of the Advent wreath," she said. "We also have an Advent calendar from which, every morning over the PA, we open one of the doors, which has a Scripture passage underneath. We have an Advent reflection based on that Scripture passage."

Then in the afternoon, she said they listen to the refrain of "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord" from Godspell, and they recite a Scripture passage from Isaiah. In addition to that, in all of their theology classes, the students are writing intentions for things that they will pray for as the Gehlen family.

For their service project during Advent, the Gehlen youth group, Jesus At Your Side (JAYS), traveled last month to the Gospel Mission in Sioux City. The students served meals to the homeless, sorted through clothes at the consignment shop, reorganized the pantry, unloaded cans that had recently been delivered and inventoried all the new donations of food. Each student also brought along homemade baked goods to give to the people who came to eat.

"I think the most important thing about Advent is people are so focused on preparing for Christmas in the commercial aspect," Henrich said. "They think about their tree, their shopping, their gifts, their wrapping and their baking, and they forget that what's most important during these four weeks of Advent is for us to spiritually prepare for the birth of Christ. So I feel that by providing all of these different opportunities for our students, that allows them to refocus on the spiritual preparation that Advent is really all about."