Advent activities, service projects bring students closer to Christmas

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
Dec. 20, 2007

Children in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City have been preparing for the coming of Jesus through prayer services, Advent projects and service to others.

St. Mary High School in Remsen is holding weekly Mass on Fridays during Advent.

"We are doing something more traditional this year," said Mary Arens, spiritual life director at St. Mary's. "We are singing some Latin. After Mass we are doing adoration. The whole high school stays in silent prayer and reflection for exposition and benediction."

The students have also been participating in several service projects this Advent. Sister Mary Lee Cox and Sister Shirley Waldschmitt chose three families in Sioux City for the students to raise money for.

"We are going to bring them Christmas," said Arens. On Dec. 20 the students traveled to Sioux City for service projects in Sioux City. "We feel honored to be able to help them. We are the ones who will be receiving."

The students served at the Siouxland Soup Kitchen on Dec. 20. They also brought baked goods and canned goods to the soup kitchen and helped at the Carmelite Monastery.

Before going to Sioux City, the students participated in an Advent candle lighting service.

"It is a beautiful morning of prayer and reflection in a completely darkened gym. We will go from the time of waiting during Advent to the coming of Christ," said Arens. "I believe that unless we see the cross overshadowing the crib, we have missed the whole point of Christmas."

She wants the students to see and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas - "our savior came that we may have eternal life."

At Spalding Catholic Elementary in Alton and Hospers, the students collected money to purchase gifts for names on the giving tree in church and began a collection for kids against hunger. Each Monday morning the students gather around the Advent wreath in the hall to sing, pray and say petitions.

At St. Patrick School in Sheldon, the Advent theme is "Share the Story" and each class is creating a "Jesse tree," which is based off of Isaiah 11:1, "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots."

A Jesse tree can be either a banner or a poster on a wall with symbols fastened to it. It can also be an actual tree with symbols hung from the branches. The students bring a symbol each day that goes with that day's reading.

They also have Monday morning Advent prayer and lighting of the Advent wreath which represents the never-ending circle of life.

The teachers at St. Patrick's are participating in "Flame for the Faithful" each week.

Once again this year, Le Mars Gehlen Catholic students and staff prepared Advent gift bags for area nursing home residents and shut-ins on Dec. 19.

Students and staff in grades transitional kindergarten through 12 put together the gift bags consisting of a variety of donated items. Each gift was finished with a personal handwritten card. The gift bags were delivered by the Christian Leadership Team to area nursing homes and shut-ins.

"The idea came from our Spiritual Life Committee," said Lorie Nussbaum, elementary principal at Gehlen. "They felt the gift bags were a way for our school to share the love and compassion we profess during the holiday season. There are so many people who cannot get out of their homes and enjoy the holiday season. So, our students and staff bring the joy of the season right to them."

At St. John the Baptist School in Bancroft, the students gather each week for an Advent ceremony. The students are making ornaments to put on a Jesse Tree as well.

"We are doing three other things in regards to charity and giving - helping make the kids good stewards," said Lynn Miller, principal at St. John's. "They are collecting pennies for the Pennies for Peace project. They are collecting pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House, an all-year activity. We help the local parish out with gifts for people in need who don't have much at Christmas."

He said it is important to instill good values in the students during Advent as well as other times of year.

"We live in a material society. It is good kids to want to give to others rather than want for themselves," said Miller.

Danbury Catholic has an Advent prayer service each Monday that has been planned by a different grade level.

"At that time, we focus the whole week on doing acts of kindness for people, listening for acts of kindness, acting on acts of kindness or seeing someone being kind," said Kristi Liechti, principal at Danbury Catholic. "The teachers keep record of this on paper light bulbs. When we reconvene in another week, the students bring their lights for the tree."

The lights are put on the tree. Liechti mentioned that there is a pretty good tree started already. This is in line with the theme, "Lighting the Way."

The students have also participated in adopting a family for Christmas. They wrapped the presents and Liechti delivered them.

"Things are so busy during the holiday season. It is easy to have your eyes taken off of the focus of why the season exists," she said. "With all the stresses that kids and families feel throughout the holiday season, this keeps them focused on what it is about."

The kindergarteners, fifth and sixth graders caroled in the Danbury community on Dec. 19.

On Dec. 21, there will be an Advent ceremony at the church. It will be a special service for the whole school before dismissing for Christmas break.

"At Danbury Catholic, we don't celebrate Christmas before Christmas," said Liechti. "They have their gift exchange on Epiphany. We wait till after Christmas."

Kuemper High School in Carroll has several activities planned for the Advent season. Each theology class has an Advent wreath and the students are doing different activities with that.

"In mine (theology class) the kids draw out something that they try to do between that day and the next day," said Kathryn Braddy, theology teacher and director of campus ministry at Kuemper.

They held an Advent reconciliation service with examination of conscience, visuals on the wall and Advent music within the service.

They will hold a candle lighting ceremony, a posada, with the doors that Mary and Joseph knock on set up in the gym. There will be music throughout and readings as well.

Another project that the students are working on is adopt a family. Catholic Charities provided them with names of families in need this Christmas. The students ended up raising enough money to take care of the names given to Kuemper along with names from a tree at K-Mart.

"I think it is a time of year in which children look out at the world and see injustice, poverty and homelessness. It is an opportunity for them to realize what they have and being able to put that into action to do something to make another's Christmas bright," said Braddy.

Other schools in the diocese have also planned and participated in Advent services and activities.