Sacred Time

Life Cycle and Sacred Time ideas

ADVENT

- choose to wait a while to fly into "Christmas mode" and recognize that advent is a season of hopeful expectation.
- make an advent wreath. Bless it and say the nightly prayers together.
- if you don't already, pray the Liturgy of the Hours or the Rosary as a family.
- Learn the O Antiphons and use them in family devotions.
- put up the Christmas tree but use it first as a jesse tree.
- celebrate st Barbara's feast
- celebrate St Nicolas' feast
- celebrate St Lucy's feast
- Hold off on Christmas carols and sing Advent Carols
- Observe the four traditional themes of advent's weeks
- Hold a Christmas play/pageant
- build a crèche
- make sacrifices and give something up.
- instead of Secret Santas, hold an Advent Angels get together. Choose to pray for or do something nice for another person during the entire season of Advent.
- if you haven't in a while, make it a point to go to confession.
- hold an enormous vigil on Christmas Eve and attend midnight mass.

CHRISTMAS
- Attend mass together as a family.
-Have a huge family feast
-Exchange gifts

ORDINARY TIME
-Pray together morning and evening
-Say the rosary on Saturdays, at least
-Think of one family service project to do together each month

LENT
-Make a sacrifice each day
-Go to regular confession
-fast and abstain on Fridays
-Pray more
-Give alms to the poor
-Have kids make a crown of thorns with toothpicks to remove each time they make a sacrifice
-Do the stations of the cross together as a family

EASTER/TRIDUUM

ORDINARY TIME


and join us if you are interested in celebrating or learning more about the Jewish feasts and holy days as well:


SHABBAT

ROSH CHODESH

HANNUKAH

TU B’SHEVAT

PURIM

PESACH

LAG B’OMER

SHAVU’OT

ROSH HASHANA

YOM KIPPUR

SUKKOT

SHEMINI ATZARET

SIMCHAT TORAH