BARRINGTON – Dozens of families from St. Luke Parish will gather on Sunday at the school gymnasium for the parish’s annual Advent wreath making workshop, an event that prepares individuals of all ages to celebrate the birth of Christ and makes their hearts truly ready to receive him.
The workshop teaches children how to prepare for the Christmas season without the commercialism found in secular society, and stresses the importance of working together as a family and as part of a parish community. Last year, the workshop, which is sponsored by the St. Luke Mothers’ Club attracted 65 families.
“We as a family, as a church, prepare for the birth of Christ,” said Father Robert Hawkins, pastor of St. Luke Church, adding that members of the large parish family also celebrate this joyful season by Supporting a variety of community-based organizations that support the less fortunate
Father Hawkins emphasized that the wreath symbolizes the advent – or coming – of light, represented by Jesus Christ – into the world. He noted that the wreath is also a symbol of Mary’s pregnancy.
“There is a certain amount of joy in welcoming a birth,” he said. “Waiting can be a joyful thing. We try to wait and prepare for the coming of Jesus.”
While the wreath itself is symbolic, so are the materials used to create the centerpiece.
The circle of green in which the candles are placed represents everlasting life. Each Sunday a candle is lit to symbolize not only the Christian’s expectation and hope in the Savior’s first coming into the world, as well as his second coming as judge at the end of the world.
Three of the candles are purple, which is penitential color used during Advent and Lent, while rose, used on Gaudete Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent) is only used on that say and on Laetare Sunday in Lent.
Father Hawkins noted that purple is used to symbolize darkness, while rose evokes a sense of joy. Once families have finished creating their Advent wreath, Father Hawkins blesses the centerpieces before they are taken home. Some families choose to adorn their wreath with pinecone, sprigs of holly or other embellishments. Each family is presented with Advent prayers, which can be recited each night while the candles are being lit.
“The family is the domestic church,” the priest noted. “The richer the prayer life at home, the richer the prayer life will be when gathered as a community.”
Jennifer Gildea, one of the organizers of the event, said last year’s workshop emphasized the true meaning of the Advent season and Christmas.
“It was a great thing for my family,” she remarked. “It was a neat symbol to get them thinking about preparing for Christmas.”
The mother of six noted that lighting the wreath every night helped her busy family to “slow down and take a minute to appreciate what was happening. I think we were better for Christmas as a result.”
She added that the wreath also provided her young children with a sense of ownership that they created together as a family.
“It’s a beautiful time of year,” she added, that the wreath’s circle also shows that there is no end to God’s infinite love.
“The children have a beautiful spirit and appreciation for things like this,” Gildea acknowledged, adding that the wreath elicits conversations that often include mention of Jesus.
“It’s easy to lose focus of what Christmas is all about,” added Maura Fay, another member of the Mother’s Club. She noted that when families light the wreath at night and pray with their family, they know that many of their friends are celebrating Advent the same way.
“It’s such a prayerful way, a communal way, to celebrate Advent,” she concluded.
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