Parishes are finding new ways to prepare for Christmas

By JULIE KEANE, Globe Staff Reporter
December 18, 2003

With Christmas around the corner, parishes and religious education groups in the diocese have been participating in special events to help them prepare for the upcoming holiday and the birth of Jesus Christ.

At St. Joseph's in Milford, the religious education students recently had their annual Christmas pageant on Dec. 14. The students did a play called "No Room at the Inn." Students from kindergarten through twelfth grade participated in the pageant that lasted about an hour. Afterwards, there were refreshments for those who attended. St. Joe's also hosted the Many Voices Choir Concert on Dec. 6. The concert takes place each year and is usually well attended.

"There are a lot of people from the area that get together and sing in our church," said Susan Reiser, parishioner at St. Joseph. The concert really puts people in the spirit of Christmas. We also had our annual holiday open house at Father Bruch's where there was well over a 100 people in attendance."

Religious education students in Spencer participated in a live nativity at the towns annual Grand Meander. Fifteen students dress in various outfits of the nativity and sat in the store Quilts on Grande on Dec. 8. During the Grand Meander celebration, people walk around downtown looking at the different business. There is hot chocolate and popcorn for the people who are wandering through the businesses.

Kathy White, who is the DRE, said that the students really liked participating in the live nativity.

Along with doing the live nativity, Sacred Heart also has a Christmas dinner for those who do not have a place to go on Christmas day. The dinner started five years ago by the church's core youth group and is open for all parishioners to volunteer. The volunteers start on Christmas Eve preparing the meal for the next day then come back in on Christmas day to help serve. The meal is donated from local grocery stories in Spencer and is served at the senior center.

"The meal started slow, but we are up to about 80-100 people in attendance," said Alissa Schipper, who is the youth minister at Scared Heart. "It has really turned into a great event. We have never had a problem getting volunteers. At first I thought, who is going to give up their Christmas day, but finding volunteers has never been a problem. The volunteers are so excited to be there helping out."

Parishioners of Holy Name Church in Marcus will be have an added bonus to their Christmas Eve Mass this year for the first time. The second and third grade religious education students will be processing in to church carrying figures from the nativity and placing them around the manager during Mass.

"This is our first year - we have never done anything like it before," said Cynthia Rupp, who is the director of religious education. "Since the kids are at that young age they like this and think it is really neat. I think that it will be a really nice thing."

Religious education students at Blessed Sacrament in Sioux City had a special prayer service on Dec. 17 to help prepare for Christmas. During the prayer service, the third graders are doing a live nativity scene. The students are also collecting personal hygiene items to give to Catholic Charities. The children also all donated $5 and took names of the church's giving tree and purchased gifts with that money.

"I think that the children are learning to share with others and that they have so much and know that there are people who don't have tooth paste and tooth brushes," said Patricia Walsh, DRE. "The children are very good about bringing those items in and are very anxious to share with others."

The cluster parishes of Mallard and West Bend are taking a different approach this year to prepare for Christmas. Students in the seventh and eighth grade religious education program are making polar fleece blankets for those that need them the most this holiday season. The Knights of Columbus donated the funds to make the fleece blankets that will be made. The blankets will be given to local social service agencies to be distributed.

"The students are aware that there are a number of elderly, who have turned their heat way down in order to save their heating bills to pay for their medication," said Janet Crowe, who is the DRE for Mallard.

She went on to say that the 26 students are excited about making the blankets and they used the project to talk about the church being more than just the parishioners in West Bend and Mallard.

"We are called to be aware of the global church," she said. "We used this as an opportunity to talk about that."