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 CONTENTS
4 We Await A Savior

5 Advent Wreath
7 Plum Pudding
8 The Empty Manger
9 Advent Prayers
11 Advent Hymns
12 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
13 Bedew Us, Heaven (Rorate Caeli)

16 St. Nicholas Day

18 Mary's Candle
19 St. Lucy's Cats

20 Advent Ember Days

20 The Annunciation
21 The Trip to Bethlehem
22 Christmas Manger
22 The Advent House
23 The "O" Antiphons
26 Tree Decorations
27 Christmas Cooking
31 Home Ceremonies on Christmas Eve
35 Blessing of the Tree

POPULAR LITURGICAL LIBRARY

family advent customs
by

Helen McLoughlin

THE LITURGICAL PRESS

St. John's Abbey Collegeville, Minnesota
 Acknowledgments. To Florence Berger and the National Catholic Rural
Life Conference, Des Moines, Iowa, for various recipes taken from Cooking
for Christ ;
Gregorian Institute of America, Toledo, Ohio, for the
to the
hymns on pp. 20 and 21 to the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the
;

English version of passages from the Bible to the Spiritual Book Associates,
;

New York, for quotation from He Cometh by Rev. William J. McGarry, S.J.
to jubilee, issue of November 1953, in which some portions of this pamphlet
originally appeared.
Cover design by Sister M. Celestine, C.PP.S. Photography by Farrell Grehan.

Family Advent Customs is one item in the Popular Liturgical Library, a

series of publications on the sacramentals, sacraments, holy Mass, liturgical
year, Gregorian chant, Divine Office, etc. Full information will be sent upon re-
quest. Address: The Liturgical Press, St. Johns Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota.

Nihil obstat: John Eidenschink, O.S.B., J.C.D., Censor deputatus. Imprimi

potest:)j( Baldwin Dworschak, O.S.B., D.D., Abbot of St. Johns Abbey. Im-

primatur : *
Peter W. Bartholome, D.D., Bishop of St. Cloud. June 25, 1954.
Copyright 1954 by The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, Minnesota.

Printed by The North Central Publishing Company, St. Paul.

DeacIcMed
E await a Savior,
T he Lord Jesus Christ,
Who will reshape the body
of our lowliness
After the shape of the body
of His splendour.
Temperately ,
justly, reverently,
Let us live
in this world,
Awaiting the blessed hope
And advent of the glory
of the great God.
RESPONSORY IN ADVENT
 we AWAIt A SAVIOR
Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year. It is a season
of spiritual preparation, marked by eager longing for the coming of
the Saviour through grace at Christmas, and for His second and
final coming. It is also an ideal time to establish in our homes litur-
gical customs which will restore our children to Christ.
In our family we use these age-old Advent practices to help our
children live closer to Christ and His Church during the pre-Christ-
mas season. Time-tested and proven, the customs teach the doctrines
of redemption and develop a generosity with God and a coordination
of the familys spiritual efforts as effectively now as they did for our
forebears. Their strong and living faith will be the heritage of our
children if family religious practices, centered in the Liturgy, The
Normal School of Sanctity for the Laity, arc established in our
homes.
Secularism has invaded our households. The Bishops of the
United States have warned us that The Christian must make his
home holy the Christian must realize the Christian ideal. Father
Edgar Schmiedler, O.S.B., in his three excellent pamphlets, Your
Home A Church in Miniature / says of family customs and bless-
ings: They are a relatively simple, but highly important, means of
union between altar and home. They are a media for channeling
from one great spiritual reservoir, given into the Churchs keeping
by Christ, the living and transforming waters of grace from the
Saviours fountain.
Children, who love the beauty and simplicity of family religious
practices, make the traditions easy to establish. As a rule it is best
to begin with one or two customs and add others in years to come.
It is also highly desirable that families develop their own special
customs, at least by adapting traditional ones to their personal
circumstances. Once established, customs recall to older members
of the family long forgotten practices of their own childhood.
These have a special appeal because they belonged to our forefathers
and link us to the wealth of national customs now fallen into disuse.
1
Available from: National Catholic Welfare Conference, 1312 Massachusetts
Avenue, Washington, D.C.

l
4
 advent
\VR6Ath
Most popular of the Advent
customs handed down to us is
the Advent wreath made of
evergreens, bound to a circle of
wire. German in origin it
was taken, so we are told, from
the pagan fire wheel the
wreath represents the cycle of
thousands of years from Adam
to Christ during which the

world awaited the coming of a Redeemer. It also represents the

cycle of years since then that we have been awaiting His second and
final coming in glory. It bears four candles, equally spaced, three
purple ones to be lighted on the penitential Sundays, and a pink
one for Gaudete the joyful Sunday in Advent. Candles
,
may be
placed inside or outside the wreath.
Any kind of Christmas wreath such as those hung in windows
may be used. It may be set on a kitchen or dining room table, on an
end table in the living room, or in a childs bedroom. However, it is
most appealing when suspended by four purple ribbons from a light
fixture in the ceiling.
When our children were small we bought a large, permanently-
preserved pine wreath and used it year after year. Now that they
are going to school they help to make anew one each Advent. Inex-
pensive and easy to assemble is the wreath we make from a bunch
or two of laurel leaves bound to a circle of wire from coat hangers.
The evergreens are secured by fine wire to the circle. Candles and
ribbons are added as the wreath is put together. Laurel is practical
because it does not shed when suspended over the dining room table.
Moreover, laurel is a symbol of victory, and thus reminds us that
Christs coming means victory over sin and death. Loveliest of
wreaths and fragrant, too, is one of fresh princess pine. When we
use that type, we hang it in the living room and add a single silver

i
star to it each evening in Advent when the candles are lighted
for prayers.
City dwellers may make an attractive wreath of fireproof green
paper, while country folks will find a metal barrel hoop ideal as a
frame for whatever evergreens are at hand. In our children's class-

rooms in New York City

Corpus Christi School). Advent wreath
(

greens are kept fresh in plastic snow" available at florists.

The home ceremony for use of the Advent wreath is simple. It
consists of the Collects for the Sundays of the season. On the first
Sunday of Advent, the family gathers for the blessing of the wreath
by the father, who begins:

Our help is in the Name of the Lord.

All answer: Who made heaven and earth.

Father: Let us pray. OGod, by whose word all things are sancti-
fied, pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant

that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming
of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces.
Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
He sprinkles the wreath with hol\ water. Then Myles, the young-
est child, lights the first candle, and the prayer for the first week is

said.

Father: Let us pray. Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, O Lord, and
come, so that we may escape through Thy protection and
be saved by Thy help from the dangers that threaten us
because of our sins. Who livest and reignest for ever and
ever.
All: Amen.
During the first week one candle is left burning during the eve-
ning meal, at prayers or at bedtime.
Two candles are lighted on the second Sunday and allowed to
burn as before. The prayer for the week is

Father: Let us pray. O Lord, stir up our hearts that we may pre-
Thy only begotten Son, that through His coming
pare for
we may be made worthy to serve Thee with pure souls.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

6
 Three candles are lighted on the third Sunday and during that
week. The prayer is

Father: Let us pray. We humbly beg Thee, O Lord, to listen to our

prayers; and by the grace of Thy coming bring light into
our darkened minds. Who livest and reignest for ever and
ever.
All: Amen.

All four candles are lighted on the fourth Sunday and allowed to
burn as before. The prayer said the fourth week is

Father: Let us pray. Stir up Thy might, we pray Thee, O Lord, and
come; rescue us through Thy great strength so that salva-
tion, which has been hindered by our sins, may be hastened
by the grace of Thy gentle mercy. Who livest and reignest
for ever and ever.
All: Amen.

At the end of Advent, candles and ribbons are changed to white,

evergreens renewed if necessary, and tiny Christmas balls added to
decorate the wreath. We
hang ours in the entrance hall it where
adds a festive note to the house and gives us a chance to explain the
wreath to neighbors and tradespeople who have not seen it pre-
viously. The wreath, unless it sheds too much, is kept during the
Christmas season, until Epiphany.

PLUM PUDDING
On the first Advent we bring to the dinner table the
Sunday of
Stir-up or traditional English plum pudding for family and
guests to stir. They make a wish as they stir and then pray the
Collect from the Mass of the day

Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, O Lord, and come so that

we may escape through Thy protection and be saved by Thy
help from the dangers that threaten us because of our sins. Who
livest and reignest for ever and ever.
Afterwards the pudding is steamed and put away until the feast
of Christmas when it returns in a blaze of brandy to the dinner table.
Actually the pudding is prepared on the Saturday before Stir-up

7
Sunday. Filled with the good things of the world, the pudding is
supposed to represent Christ who will bring with Him on His
birthday good things of heaven. Children love to work on the
all the
pudding, and the busy mother finds extra hands a great help in
dicing, grating and juicing the fruits.
We use a recipe from Jubilee November 1953. The ingredients
,

cost $2.59 at that time and make five pounds of pudding. Adolph
Paganuzzi, chef of a well-known Greenwich Village, New York,
pastry shop, reduced his famous recipe to family proportions for
Jubilee With his kind permission we give it here:
.

V2 lb. beef suet, chopped V4 lb. diced candied citron

V2 lb. all-purpose flour, sifted V4 lb. diced candied orange peels
A
}
lb. bread crumbs !4 lb. diced candied lemon peels
Va lb.brown sugar 8 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 lemons grated rind and their juice

1 teaspoon ground allspice 2 oranges grated rind and their

1 teaspoon ground ginger juice
VA lbs. raisins any kind V2 pt. Sherry or Port wine

Into a bowl mix and work together all the ingredients one at a time, in the
order in which they are listed above. When they are well amalgamated, pour
the mixture into a well-greased can (or other utensil), cover, and seal tight.
Steam in large, covered kettle, roaster or similar utensil and let simmer for at
least five hours. When done, the pudding can be stored away until Christmas.
It may be kept a year and will improve with age. It may be served with any
sauce desired, such as fruit, rum, brandy, raisin, vanilla or any other kind.
Liquid sauces are better than semi-liquid.

Rum Sauce
1 pt. Sherry wine 1 small stick cinnamon
V2 lb. brown sugar Rind of V2 orange
2 bay leaves V2 pt. rum

Place all the ingredients in a glass jar and let stand together for a few days.
Bring to a boil, strain and serve over the pudding.

the empty rmnqeR

On the Advent each child in our family receives
first Sunday of
an empty manger. A sugar box covered with bright paper will do
as well. At bedtime the children draw straws for each kind deed
performed in honor of Baby Jesus as His birthday surprise. The

8
 manger or box daily. It is amazing
straws are placed in the childs
how much love a child can put into Advent when he is preparing
for His Redeemers coming in grace.
On Christmas each child finds an Infant in his manger, placed
on on a chair beside his bed. Usually it is a tiny doll,
a small table or
beautifully dressed; but one of our children receives a Hummel
Infant year after year. This custom, which in no way interferes
with the larger manger in the living room, fills the child with a
longing in Advent, and gives him an image of his Redeemer as his
first happy glance mornings and his last impression at night during

the entire Christmas season.

advent pRAyeRS
In order to correspond more closely to the mind of Holy Mother
Church during this important season, our night prayers consist of
the Mass Collect for the day, a psalm or reading from the Advent
prophets, and an Advent hymn. Children particularly love psalms,

9
once they have learned that they are the prayers our Lord Him-
self said when He was a boy on earth. One of the childrens favor-
ites is:

O shepherd of Israel, hearken,

O guide of the flock of Joseph !

Rouse your power,

and come to save us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us,

if your face shine upon us,

then we shall be safe.

O Lord of hosts, how long will you burn with anger
while your people pray ?

You have them with the bread of tears

fed
and given them tears to drink in ample measure.
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us,
if your face shine upon us,

then we shall be safe.

Another prayer children enjoy is a prophecy from Isaias. It refers

to Christ as the Root of Jesse, the thirsty plant, in whose honor we

use evergreens during Advent and Christmas. It also gives the gene-
alogy of the Saviour

A Root shall come forth from the stock of Jesse

And a Flower shall rise out of his root
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him
the spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the spirit of counsel and of fortitude,
knowledge and of godliness.
the spirit of
The people that walked in darkness
shall see a great light,
For a Child is born to us
and a Son is given to us.
To Him power shall be given.
all

His Name shall be: Wonderful One,

Strong God, Eternal One, Prince of Peace.
He shall sit on the throne of David,
10
 And He found a new Covenant
will
which will last for ever and ever.

two Advent prayers which are appropriate

Isaias also gives us
before grace at meals for this season. Mornings and at noon we use
the versicle of Lauds which is as it were a spur making us con-
scious of the particular mystery of the season. Before grace the
mother prays
The voice of one crying in the wilderness : Prepare the way
of the Lord.

All answer: Make straight His paths.

This is also the particular prayer we use in preparing each child

for our Lords coming in First Holy Communion. It is therefore
especially dear to the family.
At the evening meal we use the Vespers versicle which is a seda-
tive, soothing our hearts in spiritual repose. Before grace the father
says

Drop down dew, ye heavens above, and let the clouds rain
the Just One.

All answer: Let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior.

Here again the versicle is familiar because we sing the words in

Latin during evening prayers.

advent hymns
Mother Church has wisely provided her children with Advent
hymns. Favorites are the deeply moving Rorate Coeli translated ,

Bedew us, heaven, from above, and Come, O Come Emmanuel.

Our children sing these hymns at school. We have a little pump
organ at home which they play. Pump organs can often be picked
up in country places for little or no money. Frequently an inquiry
will bring to light one covered with dust in a church basement or in
the attic of a farm house. Nothing stimulates family hymn singing
so much as an organ. It is a happy adjunct to the home that is a

church in miniature.

11
 O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL
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1. 0 come, 0 come, Em- man- u- el,

2. 0 come, Thou Rod of Jes- se, free,

3. 0 come, Thou Day- spring, come and cheer
4. 0 come, Thou Key of Dav- id, come

y,i .> i i f no j
~j
1. And ran- som cap- tive Is- ra- el,

2. Thine own from Sa- tans ty- ran- ny;

3. Our Spir- its by Thine Ad- vent here;
4. And 0- pen wide our Heavn- ly Home;

1. That mourns in lone- ly ex- ile here

2. From depths of hell Thy peo- pie save
3. Dis- perse the gloom- y clouds of night
4, Make safe the way that leads on high

<ip
k-4 -4
J -4 -J- J J
fin
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k-
J-
f

1. Un- til the Son . of God ap- pear.

2. And give them vie- try oer the grave.
3. And earths dark sha- dows put to flight.
4, And close the path to mi- se- ry.

O h
-ff
-
-4
1
1
1

J J *J -J- 4
Y
Re- joice! Re- joice! Em- man- u- el

Shall come to thee

12
 BEDEW US, HEAVEN

bes pld- ant jds- turn. Repeat Rorate."

rain down the Just One.

I. Ne i- ra- scd- ris Do- mi- ne, ne til- tra

With- hold Thy wrath from us, 0 Lord, and re- mem-

me- ml- ne- ris in- i- qui- td- tis: 4c- ce cl- vi- tas
ber no more our e- vil- do- ing. Lo, the ci- ty of

Sdnc- ti fac- ta est de- s4r- ta: Si- on de-s4r-

the Ho- ly One is made a de- sert, SI- on a de-

ta- f&c- ta est: Je- rd- sa-lem de- so- 14- ta est:
sert is be-^ome. Je- ru- sa-lem waste and de- so- late:

d6- mus sane- ti- fi- ca- ti- 6- nis td- ae et gl6-
the house of Thy hal- low- ing pres-ence, and

ri- ae td- ae, d- bi lau- da- v4- runt te pd- tree

of Thy glo- ry, where of old our fa- thers sang Thy
13
 nb- stri. Repeat Rorate.
prai- ses.

2. Pec- c&- vi- mus, et fac- ti su-mus tarn- quam

We all have sinned, and are be-come like un-

im-mtin- dus nos, et ce- cl- di- mus qua- si f6- li-

to one un- clean. We have fal- len low, as a dy-

um u- ni- ver- si: et in- i-qui- 1&- tes nos-trae

ing leaf falls earth- ward; and our in- i- qui- ties,

qua- si ven- tus abs- tu- le- runt nos: abs- con-
as a wind have swept us swift- ly far. Thou hast

A-J 1' J'J 11 J^ I J J3 ;

dl- sti fa- ci- em tu- am a n6- bis, et ah

hid-den Thy face from us, Thy peo- pie; Thou hast

i
li- si sti nos in m&- nu in- i- qui- t- tis
bro- ken us by the weight of our own

n6- strae. Repeat Rorate.

sin- ning.
 3* Vi- de Do-mi- ne af- flic- ti- 6- nem po- pu*
Behold, 0 Lord, the af- flic- tion of

li til- i, et mlt- te quem mis-su- rus es: e-

Thy peo- pie. Send quick-ly Him who is to come. Send

i^-Fp-r rr
mlt- te A-gnum do- mi- na- to- rem ter- rae, de
forth the Lamb who rules all earth- ly king- doms, from

pe- tra de- ser- ti ad mon- tern fi- li- ae

Pe- tra in the de- sert, to the Mount of the daugh- ter of

SI- on: ut 4u- fe- rat ip-se ju- gum cap- ti- vi-
Si- on; that He may take a- way the grie- vous yoke of

t4- tis no- strae. Repeat Borate.

our siib-jec- tion.

4. Con- so- 14- mi- ni, con- so- la- mi- ni, po- pu- le

Be ye com-for- ted, be ye com-for- ted, O ye My

E
m6- us: cl- to v4- ni- et s 4- lus til- a: qu4-
peo- pie: for most speed- i- ly comes sal- va- tion. Why
15
 re moe- ro- re con- six- me- ris, qui- a in-

are ye con- sumed with sor- row- ing, so that your

no- v- vit te do- lor? Sal- va- bo te,

grief has quite trans- formed you? I come to save.

n6- me-
li ti- re, 6- go e- nim sum Do-mi- nus
be no more fear- ful. For know ye not that I am your

D6- us td- us, S&n- ctus Is- ra- el, Red- 6mp-
God and Mas- ter, Is- rael's Ho- ly One, your sole

Re- deem- er.

st. mchoUs 6ay

St. Nicholas feast day, December 6, is one of the highlights
of the Advent eve that our children hang their
season. It is on this

stockings. From babyhood they learn to love the kind bishop

with

his mitre, staff and bag of gifts

whose name has become parodied
*

as Santa Claus and whose memory is tarnished by commercialism.

In addition to the toys received on this feast, the Christ Child and

His angels bring other on Christmas Eve.

gifts

Placing less exclusive emphasis on December 25 as the day of

presents and also curtailing its gifts somewhat makes it easier
to

place more emphasis on the religious aspects of that great holy

day. Do other children think ours are queer ? Not at all. If any-

16
thing, they are a bit envious
of children who receive Yule
gifts so early and who enjoy
such a happy feast as our tra-

ditional St. Nicholas Day

party. Having an early gift
day also makes it possible for
the children to give some of
these gifts as Christmas pres-
ents to other less fortunate
children.
Treats of the St. Nicholas
party are the exchange of
gifts, genuine Dutch cookies
and Bishopwyn (bishops
wine). For children the wine
is grape juice. But the grown-

ups who face the high De-

cember winds along the Hud-
son River to pick up their
children at our house always
welcome the mulled Bishop-
wyn. Its recipe is from our favorite cook book, Cooking for Christ
by Florence Berger.
1 bottle of Claret 6 cloves 4 inches stick cinnamon

Break cinnamon into small pieces. Simmer wine and spices for about five

minutes. Strain wine. Serve hot.

The Speculatius, spice cookie from the Netherlands, like all of

Mrs. Bergers recipes, is foolproof.
1 cup butter 4 tsps. cinnamon
1 cup lard Vi tsp. nutmeg
2 cups brown sugar Vi tsp. cloves

Vi cup sour cream AVi cups sifted flour

Vi tsp. soda Vi cup chopped nuts

Cream and sugar. Add sour cream alternately with sifted dry
the butter, lard
ingredients. Stir in the nuts. Knead the dough into rolls. Wrap the rolls in wax
paper and chill them in the refrigerator overnight. Roll the dough very thin and
cut into shapes. Bake in moderate oven (375) for 10 to 15 minutes.

The dough may be cut into St. Nicholas shapes, or into the shape

17
of birds, fish or animals. We like to cut out stocking shapes and ice

them in honor of the patron of school boys.

During the party we light the Advent wreath candles, and the
children sing Advent hymns. All classes at Corpus Christi School
have wreaths, but many of the children do not have them at home.
We have found that parents, enjoying their Bishopwyn, have be-
come interested in the wreath and have integrated the Advent pro-
gram of school and home as a result of the St. Nicholas Day party.

irnRys candle
Following closely is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is

our only daughters baptismal day, a day of great joy because (she
is adopted) her rebirth in Christ is such a wonderful event in her
life and ours. On our Ladys altar Sheila arranges a single red
rose in a vase and covers it with a blue lace or net to signify the
Mystical Rose. On an end table in the living room, she sets up the
Christ-Candle which will be lighted during Christmas. Over the
candle goes a white mantle. It is usually a cape of white satin (in the
picture it was a chairback) ;
but
crepe paper fluted and gath-
ered with ribbon will do.
Our candle, made by Brett
in Germany (and sold by Gim-
bel Bros., N.Y.) has a deco-
rated crib and Christ cut into
the base ;
but it would not be a
difficult task for a grown up
or even a child to paint a figure
of the Infant on a short, broad
candle. Our candle serves as
the basis for sex instructions.
Blessed is the fruit of thy
womb becomes a reality to
the littlest children who love
to learn about the Baby in Mary's immaculate body. Mary is Gods
throne room and her part in our redemption is very great. Only He
knows how often the Holy Spirit works upon childrens souls as
they peek under the mantle to see the Infant whose coming they
await with great expectancy. On the feast we recite the Magnificat
(texton page 33) and sing hymns at Marys altar.
Some families have the custom of placing a candle, decorated with
a small white or blue ribbon, before a statue or picture of the
Blessed Virgin on the feast of her Immaculate Conception. They
light the candle during meals and evening prayers. It serves as an
eloquent reminder of Marys eager expectation of the Light of the
World, and helps members of the family keep their own light of
grace burning brightly as the best preparation for His coming.

ST. LUCY'S CATS

The feast of St. on December 13,
Lucy, patron of school girls,

marks the opening of the Christmas season in Sweden, where Leissi

Katter or St. Lucys Cats are a special treat. We bake the yellow
buns in the form of cats, but have yet to make them as beautifully
as those shown on Mrs. Bergers slides covering her cooking for the
entire liturgical year. The recipe is hers.

1 cake yeast V2 cup currants

1 tblsp. sugar 2 tblsps. saffron
Va cup warm water 3
A cup hot water
1 cup milk 1 tblsp. chopped citron
3
A cup sugar 6 cups flour
4 tblsps. shortening 1 tsp. salt

V2 cup raisins 1 beaten egg

Add yeast and sugar to warm water. Scald and cool milk. When yeast mixture
bubbles add to milk. Beat in and two cups flour. Cover and
shortening, sugar
let rise. Put saffron in three-fourths cup hot water one hour. Strain and add liquid

to dough only for color. Combine fruits, flour and salt. Let rise again. Shape into
oval buns with round heads. Add a tail if you wish. Use raisins as eyes. Brush
with beaten egg and water and let rise again until it doubles its bulk. Bake in a
moderate oven (350) for 30 minutes.

19
 Advent Ember Days receive their proper significance when chil-

dren react the mysteries of each days Gospel. In the Middle Ages,
Holy Mother Church taught the people by such mystery plays
plays about the life of Christ. Sometimes we read the Gospel and
the children act it out. Other times we tell the Gospel story and let
the children use their own words. One of the loveliest of such scenes
was staged Corpus Christi School where our Sheila as Mary
at
dramatized our Lady in her home at the coming of Herods mes-
senger and on the subsequent journey. Scarfs, bathrobes remnants
and old lace dresses make excellent costumes.
In this connection there is a delightful hymnal The Story of the
Redemption for Children. They love the songs. On Ember Days
they sing The Annunciation set to the music of the Latin hymn
Creator Alme Siderum. Another simple hymn suitable for this
season and set to- the same music is The Trip to Bethlehem.

THE ANNUNCIATION

} i p p p
1. One day while Ma- ry knelt in prayer
2. Now Ma- ry feared and bowed her head.
3. Then Ma- ry spoke the bless- ed word:

^ J J

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1. She saw an an- gel stand- ing there.
2. Oh, do not fear, the an- gel said,
3. Be- hold the Hand- maid of the Lord.

fr-p-
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1. His glo- ry filled the dwell- ing place.
2. For God shall send His Son to thee.
3. As thou hast said, so be it done.

20
^r-j i J~ J
1. He said to her, Hail, full of Grace!
2. His ho- ]y Moth- er, thou shalt be.
3. The Son of God be- came her Son.

THE TRIP TO BETHLEHEM

1. St.
lip
Jos- eph brushed
p
the
p
don- key
J~
p
neat,
2. They trav- eled on for man- y days
3. The rich- er folk would hur- ry by
4. At last, when Jos- eph halt- ed there,

p.. L p_. *LJ' JJ-

1. Put Ma- ry in the sad- die seat,
2. A- long the wind- ing dust- y ways.
3. In car- riag- es all fine and high,
4. The inn was full; and ev- 'ry- where

j j>

1. Then took his staff of hick- ory limb,

2. But no com- plaint was heard from them,
3. And proud- ly look a- way from them,
4. He heard them say, through ev- ning gloom

& } -J J
p
4'
1 j-J-
1. And start- ed off for Beth- le- hem.
2. A- trav- ling down to Beth- le- hem.
3. A- trav- ling down to Beth- le- hem.
4. So sor- ry, sir, we have no room.
 chRistmas nwiqeR
Each year our other big Advent project is the building of a man-
ger for the entrance hall. One year the children drew the figures
which Daddy glued plywood and cut with a
to saw. Another year
we carved Nativity figures from Ivory soap. We have also made
them of cookie dough using Nativity cookie cutters. 1 The same
cookie cutters filled with plaster of paris made lovely white figures.
An important factor with children is to give them incentive to
work and credit for their effort by placing the manger scene where
many can admire it. This encourages further creative efforts.

About the time Advent projects are nearing completion, our

children prepare banners to go with the Infant in the living room
manger. They print their names on bright little cardboard banners
and slip the individual banners into lollypop sticks set into plaster
bases. These are placed around the crib to show that our children are
among those who proclaim Christ their King. This idea may be
carried out by using childrens photographs, cut out, pasted to
cardboard, and made to stand around the crib.

the vPvent house

Most exciting of our family
customs in the Advent House 2
with its seven sealed windows
concealing symbols of Christ
derived from the Old Testa-
ment. December
Beginning
17th, the little House is hung
against the light of a window,
and the beautiful O anti-
1

From : Ave Maria Shop, 1 1 Bar-

clay St., New York 8, N. Y. ($1.00).
J
From Berliner & McGinnis, Ne-
:

vada City, California ($.50).

phons of the Liturgy become our morning prayer. The little ones
can hardly wait to break the seal on each Advent House window.
They find within a colorful transparency depicting a symbol of
Christ, such as the burning bush, the key of David, the root of
Jesse, symbols which grow in richness and meaning year by year.
The antiphons, scriptural texts a few lines long, are so many
jewels of inspired poetry. Each ends on the eager cry, Come! On
December 23rd when the door of the Advent House is opened,
children find little King Jesus on His Mothers knee.
There is a climactic order in these antiphons, Father William
J. McGarry, S.J., writes. In the first, O Sapientia we take a back- ,

ward flight into the recesses of eternity to address Wisdom, the

Word of God. In the second, O Adonai we have leaped from eterni-
,

ty to the time of Moses and the Law of Moses (about 1400 B.C.). In
the third, 0 Radix Jesse we have come to the time when God was
,

preparing the line of David (about 1100 B.C.). In the fourth, O

Clavis David we have come to the year 1000. In the fifth, O Oriens
, ,

we see that the line of David is elevated so that the peoples may look
on a rising star in the east, and hence in the sixth, O Rex Gentium ,

we know that He is king of all the world of man. This brings us

to the evening before the vigil, and before coming to the- -town
limits of Bethlehem, we salute Him with the last Great O, O Eman-
uel God-with-us. A useful commentary on the O antiphons ap-
,

peared in Worship December 1952.

,

O Sapientia December 17
O WISDOM
Who issued from the mouth of the Most
High
Reaching from beginning to end
Ordering all things mightily yet ten-
derly
COME to teach us the way of prudence.

23
 O Adonai December 18
O LORD OF LORDS
AndLeader of the house of Israel,
Who appeared to Moses in the bushs
flaming fire

And gave to him the Law on Sinai

COME to redeem us with stretched-out
arms.

0 Radix Jesse December 1

O ROOT OF JESSE
A Standard to the peoples
whom kings are mute,
Before
To whom all nations shall appeal
COME to deliver us; delay, please, no
longer.

O Clavis David December 20

O KEY OF DAVID
And Scepter of the house of Israel,
You open and no man dares shut,
You shut and no man dares open
COME, deliver from the chains of prison
him who sits in darkness and in the
shadow of death.

24
O Oriens December 21
O RISING DAWN
Radiance of eternal light
And Sun of justice
COME, enlighten those sitting in dark-
And in the shadow of death. [ness

O Rex Gentium December 22

O KING OF NATIONS
And their desired one,
Cornerstone who binds two into one

COME and save man

Whom You fashioned from the slime of
the earth.

O Emmanuel December 23
O EMMANUEL, God-with-jus,
Our King and Lawgiver,
The Awaited of the peoples and their
Savior
COME to save us, O Lord, our God.

25
 tRee 6ecoRAtions
Making Christmas tree decorations provides one of our familys
Advent and gives the children thoughts for meditation. We
projects
use packets of double-faced paper designs which cost fifty cents for
1
40 cut-outs. Children can make the decorations entirely by them-
selves. Figures include Nicholas as a Bishop with a bag of toys, the

Infant Jesus, Mary, angels, shepherds, stars, and symbols such as

the Mystical Rose. Pre-school children love to cut the designs, punch
out the holes, and put ornament hangers into each decoration.
A child who can draw is always happy to see his own work dis-
played on the tree. Children not so talented can cut out the animals
of the stable, angels, and the figures of the Advent season, Isaias,
John the Baptist and Zachary from old books or calendars. These
may be backed with bright colored paper to make attractive orna-
ments. Our children love symbols. Last year Christ, the Christmas
rose, was represented by a rose (cut from wallpaper) over which
they placed twelve silver stars. They also dressed tiny dolls to present
Christs ancestors and hung them on the tree. These included Jesse,
David, our Lady, St. Joseph, and Adam and Eve. Clay and paint
provided a tiny apple and a serpent to give Eve real meaning
and to dramatize the reason for the Redeemers coming.
'
Available from: Muller Religious Goods, 75 Barclay St., New York, N.Y.
 chRistmas cooking
Christ, the Bread of Angels, has been honored by special Christ-
mas Bread in every European country. Most delicious of these are
Brioche or French Christmas bread, the Christstollen of Germany
whose criss-cross shape reminds us of the Child in swaddling
clothes, and Melachrino or Greek spice cake. The latter our children
call Hidden Jesus Bread, because of the Infant baked in it. Recipes
for all three are from Mrs. Bergers Cooking for Christ whose ,

family like ours One half of

is large. her recipe is usually sufficient
for small families. Where the price of butter is prohibitive, part
margarine with butter may be used.
wooer

Brioche a very light rich bread,

,
is mixed on Christmas Eve
best
so the dough can stand before it is baked. Use a very hot oven on
Christmas morning to make the dough rise quickly. The crust is
crisp and brown, the center soft when the dough is handled lightly.

1 yeast cake 1 tblsp. sugar

Va cup warm water 6 slightly beaten eggs
4 cups flour 1 cup butter
1 tsp. salt V2 cup milk

Mix yeast with warm water and one cup flour. Cover and set aside to rise.
Mix remaining dry ingredients. Work in butter with your fingers. Add eggs. Add
milk very slowly. (The dough should be softer than bread dough.) Mix in yeast
combination and let rise one to two hours. Punch down and keep in a cold
place until ready to use. Then shape in two 6x10 loaf pans. Put
loaves. Place in
in warm place until dough rises about one third more in size. Brush with beaten
egg. Bake in hot oven (450) until brown. This recipe will make two loaves.

Early Christians brought their bread to the altar at the offertory

procession. Some of it was used for the Sacrifice ;
the rest received
a special blessing after the consecration, but was not changed into
the body of Christ. It was taken home as Blessed Bread.

The mother of the family may use her powers as a member of

the royal priesthood to which St. Peter refers in his First Epistle,
sprinkle holy water over the newly made bread, and say Holy
Mother Churchs official blessing:

27
Mother: Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, Thou the bread of angels,
Thou the living bread of eternal life, graciously deign to
bless this bread as Thou didst bless the five loaves in the
desert that all who partake of it may have health of body
and soul. Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

Eating blessed bread makes such an impression upon children

that no scrap of it is ever wasted because it is Gods special food.

Christstollen needs plenty of room so that the shape of the Child

in swaddling clothes will be surely seen in the folds of dough.
1 cake yeast 1 cup shortening
1 tblsp. sugar 1 Va cups sugar
Va cup lukewarm water 2 eggs
6 cups flour 1 cup raisins
1 tsp. salt 1 cup currants
Vi tsp. nutmeg Vi cup blanched almonds
2 cups scalded milk Vi cup chopped citron
1 Vi tsps. lemon extract

and tsp. of sugar in warm water. Cover and allow to rise.

Dissolve yeast
Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and scalded milk cooled to lukewarm.
Alternate with flour sifted with salt and nutmeg. Add yeast mixture. Knead until
smooth. Add fruits and flavoring. Cover and let dough rise to double its bulk.
Knead dough again. Shape dough into ropes about one and one half inches in
diameter. For each large stollen make one rope three feet long and two that
are two and a half feet long. Braid the dough. Bring the braid to a point at
either end. Place the braid on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a hot oven (400)
for 25 minutes or until brown. This recipe will make two large Stollen.

After we have received the Eucharistic Bread at Christmas Mass,

we like a favorite sweet bread or spice cake which Mrs. Berger calls

Melachrino. In Greece it is customary to hide a silver coin deep in

its crust ;
we bake a tiny figure of the Holy Infant in the dough.
Va cup butter Va tsp. mace
1% cups sugar 1 cinnamon
Va tsps.

3 eggs Va tsp. ground cloves

% cup milk 1 Vi tsp. baking soda

2
1 A cups flour Vz tsp. salt
1 Vi tblsp. lemon juice

Cream and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add milk alternately with sifted dry
butter
ingredients. Stir in lemon juice. Pour batter into a greased 9x14 loaf pan. Bake
in a moderate oven (350)for 45 minutes. While the cake is still hot, ice with:

2 cups confectioners sugar 5 or 6 tblsps. water Vi tsp. lemon juice

28
giflU
 From the Italians comes a quick dessert for that busiest of days,
Vigilia di Natale , the Vigil of Christmas. It is a Cassata or Cream
Tart which may be made with store sponge cake to save time.

10 inch sponge cake IV2 cups sugar

IV2 cups cottage cheese 2 tsps. almond extract
2 chopped squares of bitter chocolate

Cut cake into three layers. Beat cottage cheese, sugar, almond extract and
chocolate together. Spread this filling between layers. Chill cake in refrigerator.

When cake is set, ice with

1 egg white 1 almond extract

tsp.

'I 2 cups confectioner's sugar V2 tsp. lemon juice

Candied fruits

We go to great lengths in Christmas cooking, but there are

two which we take. One is the use of store cake in the
shortcuts
Cassata above and the other the use of prepared mince meat and, on
occasion, prepared pie crust.

Mincemeat pie at Christmas was originally made in an oblong

baking pan to remind us of Christs birth in a manger, while the
richness of its ingredients and the spices remind us of the gifts of
the Magi. We use a standard prepared mincemeat and a standard
pastry recipe for a two crust pie. A 7x11 cake pan utilizes the dough
and leaves enough scraps after the pie is trimmed for a pastry Infant
Jesus. This is cut from a Nativity cookie cutter, baked separately
and placed on the manger-pie. The gingerbread boy had Baby
Jesus for his original model.

As Christmas approaches, the house smells of baking, presents

are wrapped and the wreaths are hung. The children unveil the
Christ Candle and set up their cribs. It is then that their Daddy
covers the fireplace mantle with evergreens Oregon holly when
we can afford it and centers a Madonna and Child with many
vigil lights as the focal of the room. A spray of evergreen is placed
across the top of every picture in the room; and a piece is wound
around a huge white candle placed on the dinner table to symbolize
the Light of the world for whom we have made these elaborate
preparations.

30
 chRistrms eve
Various home ceremonies on Christmas Eve are perhaps the
easiest of all to establish. Where children are very small they are
the surest link between altar and home. If they believe in Santa
Claus, this emphasis on Christmas as the Feast of Baby }esus and
His Birthday will focus their thoughts on the Holy Child.
In our house, friends and older members of the family gather in a
darkened living room. Through the halls, the children with lighted
candles come in a procession carrying the Infant Jesus for the living
room crib, while they sing Silent Night By the time they reach the
.

living room door, their Daddy is ready to light the tree, then the
candles at the crib and mantle, and finally the Christ Candle. There
upon we all sing:

Silent Night Holy Night

!

All is calm, all is bright,

Round yon Virgin undefiled,
In whose arms the Holy Child
Sleeps in heavenly peace,
Sleeps in heavenly peace.

Silent Night Holy Night

!

Shepherds first see the sight,

Hear the plains and valleys ring
With the song that angels sing:
Jesus the Savior is born !

Jesus the Savior is born !

Pierce, our eldest child, then reads from the Roman Martyrology
In the forty-second year of the Empire of Octavian Augustus, in
the Sixth Age of the world while all the earth was at peace, Jesus
Christ, Eternal God, and Son of the Eternal Father, willed to con-
secrate the world by His gracious coming; having been conceived of
the Holy Ghost, and the nine months since His conception having
now passed ( all \neel ), He was born as Man of the Virgin Mary
at Bethlehem of Juda. (Very solemnly ):

THE BIRTHDAY
ACCORDING TO THE FLESH
OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
31
 After the reading we sing the third verse of Silent Night

SilentNight Holy Night

!

Son of God, Light of Light.

Streams of gladness flood the earth.
From Thy cradle at Thy birth.
Jesus, Thou Light of the world !

Jesus, Thou Light of the world !

Father: Our help is in the Name of the Lord

AH: who made heaven and earth.

32
Father: O great mystery and wonderful sign,
All : dumb beasts saw the new born Lord lying in a crib.

Then all present recite the Magnificat , Marys song with which
she answered her cousin Elizabeth when the latter greeted her with
the words, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit
of thy womb. >

Father: My soul magnifies the Lord,

All: and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid,
for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His Name
And His mercy is from generation to generation
toward those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones
and has exalted the lowly.
The hungry He has filled with good things
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has given help to Israel His servant,
mindful of His mercy
As He promised our fathers
toward Abraham and his descendants forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.

The Antiphon is repeated:

All: O great mystery and wonderful sign, dumb beasts saw the
new born Lord lying in a crib.

The Magnificat is followed by the holy Gospel according to St.

Luke (2:15-20):
Father: And it came to pass, when the angels had departed from
them into heaven, that the shepherds were saying to one
another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing

33
 that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to
us. So they went with haste, and they found Mary and Jo-
seph, and the Babe lying manger. And when they
in the
had seen, they understood what had been told them con-
cerning this Child. And all who heard marvelled at the
things told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept in mind
all these words, pondering them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising
God for all that they had heard and seen, even as it was
spoken to them.
All : Praise be to You, O Christ.
Father: The Word was made flesh, alleluia.

All: And dwelt among us, alleluia.

Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All : And let my cry come to You.

Father*. Let us pray. We beseech Thee, Almighty God, bless this

crib which we have prepared in honor of the new birth in
the flesh of Thine only begotten Son, that all who devoutly
see in this image the mystery of His Incarnation may be
filled with the light of His Glory, who with Thee liveth

and reigneth forever.

All: Amen.

Now the Mother prays the Collect from the Missal

Mother: Let us pray. O God, who dost gladden us with the yearly
expectation of our redemption, grant that we, who now
joyfully receiveThine only-begotten Son as our Redeemer,
may also, without fear, behold Him coming as our judge,
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son Who liveth and reigneth
for ever and ever.
All: Amen.

In conclusion family and friends sing the Adeste Fidelis:

O come, all ye faithful,

and triumphant,
O come, let us adore Him,
To Jesus, to Jesus in Bethlehem.
O come, let us adore Him,
Come and behold Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, our Lord.
Bom the King of Angels,

34
Blessing of the tRee
In recent years, moreover, in a growing number of families there
takes place a blessing of the Christmas tree. remind our We like to
children of the part a tree played in the sins of our first parents and
of the sacred wood of the Tree on which Jesus Christ, whose birthday
we now celebrate, once paid the price of our redemption. Children
love the story of why we use the tree. There are many versions. We
tell them that the tree goes back to the Jewish Feast of Lights. It

was St. Boniface who gave the balsam fir tree to the Druids in place
of the oak tree, the symbol of their former idolatry. The fir tree is

the wood of peace, the sign of an endless life with its evergreen
branchs. It points to heaven. It will never shelter deeds of blood, but
rather be filled with loving gifts and rites of kindness. When St.

Ansgar preached to the Vikings, he referred to the fir tree as a

symbol of the faith, for it was, he said, as high as hope, as wide as
love, and bore the sign of the Cross on every bough.
In some homes the tree is blessed on Christmas Eve and the crib
on Christmas morning. The following form for the blessing of the
tree may be used

Father: This ismost worthy Tree in the midst of Paradise

that
All: on which Jesus by His death overcame death for all.

Father: Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

All : let the sea and what fills it resound
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them !

All the trees of the forest shall exult

before the Lord, for He comes
for He comes to rule the earth.
He world with justice
shall rule the
and the peoples with His constancy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
All: This is that most worthy Tree in the midst of Paradise on
which Jesus by His death overcame death for all.

35
Mother: God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-
bearing plants and all kinds of fruit trees that bear fruit
containing their seed. And so it was. The earth brought
forth vegetation, every kind of seed-bearing plant and all

kinds of trees that bear fruit containing their seed. The

Lord God made to grow out of the ground all kinds of
and good for food, the tree of life
trees pleasant to the sight
also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowl-
edge of good and evil. And God saw that it was good.
All: Thanks be to God.
Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come to You.
Father: Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who by dying on the tree
of the Cross didst overcome the death of sin caused by our
first parents eating of the forbidden tree of paradise, grant,
we beseech Thee, the abundant graces of Thy Nativity,
*
that we may worthy living branches of Thy-
so live as to be
self, the good and ever green Olive Tree, and in thy

strength bear the fruit of good works for eternal life. Who
livest and reignest for ever and ever.

All: Amen.

36
 THE
Address

</
<t> Collegeville,

3
CL

LITURGICAL

Minnesota

PRESS

'
r'*
 Archbishop Richard J. Cushing of Boston, in urging Christian
parents to establish family practices said, This is what the Church
expects of you in Advent. She invites you to look through the eyes
of faith, upon the world, upon the invisible growth of a land of
inexhaustible riches, wherein the Sower of Life unites humanity to
divinity. If during Advent we open our souls fully, the Heavens
will rain the JustOne.
St. Pius X, whose burning desire was to restore all things to

Christ, might well become the patron of parents who wish to restore
their children to Christ through these practices. Our Blessed Lady
and St. Joseph too will send inspiration from the Holy Spirit, for
theirs was a home where feast day cooking, family customs, family
prayers and singing abounded, according to prescribed Jewish law.
It is to them we must look for help in order to train our children to

live temperately, justly, reverently, in this world, awaiting the Ad-

vent of the glory of the great God.
 R.
4&
L.
CLASS
NO. P.

34.9,

FIRST
PERMIT

Section

MINNESOTA

ABBEY

COLLEGEVILLE,
JOHN'S

ST.
 %

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