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Men of the Cross Conference

On Saturday, October 22nd men from around the Diocese of La Crosse will converge in Marshfield to take part in this year's annual Men of the Cross conference. From its inception, the focus of this conference is to lead men into a deeper relationship with Christ and to discern through fellowship and prayer on how to be husbands, fathers and brothers of the Cross. Last year, the conference drew in more than 400 men and there is an expectation of growing from that number for this year.

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FEATURED ARTICLES for October - November 2016

5 Easy Practices to Make Advent Special for Your Family This Year

By: Jeff Arrowood
Advent is always a difficult time. Our pastors like to remind us – and rightly so – that Advent is a time for quiet reflection, prayer, almsgiving, and sacrifice to prepare ourselves to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord more deeply. But the fact remains that the spiritual dimension of Advent is in stiff competition with the cultural expectations of gifts, lots of food, cookies, decorations, and parties. Add to that the regular demands of job, school and family life and it's no wonder the spiritual dimension of Advent gets lost. But that doesn't keep the spiritual dimension of Advent from being the most important. So what can a family do to make Advent more meaningful? Here are five simple ideas.

Pray the Advent Wreath Prayer before bed. If you already say prayers before bed, this will be an easy change for you. If you don’t, it will be a small adjustment. But it doesn’t have to take more than 5 minutes unless you want it to. Purchase an advent wreath with candles. Each evening of Advent light the appropriate candles for the week of Advent and say a quick prayer. There are many prayers to choose from. Most wreaths come with a brochure with weekly reflections. There’s something special about lighting the candles and counting down the weeks to Christmas together. The increasing light from the candles reflects the increasing joyful anticipation of Christmas. This is something children understand. And it’s healthier than those countdown calendars with the chocolates!

Build a Jesse Tree. People are buying their Christmas trees earlier and earlier. My family tries to hold off until Gaudete Sunday (the “rose candle” week). But by then picking gets pretty slim. So go ahead and buy your Christmas tree (or set up an artificial one). But instead of decorating it for Christmas right away, find a Jesse Tree kit and have your children make a new ornament each day of Advent. There are simple kits out there that require only coloring. Each ornament represents a story from Salvation History, leading up to the Incarnation of Jesus. Review the Bible story together, say a quick prayer, and hang the day’s ornament. It’s a great way to learn the Bible, to understand the context of Christmas in Salvation History, and to build anticipation toward Christmas. Then you can decorate the tree for Christmas on Christmas eve.

Decorate your home for Advent – and build toward Christmas. Christmas decorating is a big chore for some people (others really enjoy it). But it doesn’t have to happen all at once. Start out with a house cleaning weekend to prepare your home to receive Jesus. Next, lay out some simple decorations – including the Advent wreath and Jesse tree if you choose to do those activities. Then, each day or each week (depending on your schedule) bring out a few Christmas decorations. Let your children feel the growing excitement as your home slowly transforms from Advent to Christmas décor.

Prepare the manger. You might be tempted to save the manger for last. But a great practice is to lay out the manger early in Advent, but don’t put baby Jesus in the scene yet. Prepare the manger by laying straw in it each day. Some families put straw in the manger for every good deed they do during Advent – so Jesus has a bedding to lay on made out of love. On Christmas, make a big deal of putting baby Jesus in the manger, made soft by your family’s acts of charity.

Buy gifts . . . for complete strangers. Hey – you’re out shopping for Christmas gifts anyway, right? Why not use that activity to spread even more Christmas joy? While you’re shopping for your family, buy an extra gift from someone in need. There are a lot of programs to guide you – from Project Angel Tree, which purchases gifts on behalf of incarcerated fathers to homeless shelter programs that makes sure homeless children get a Christmas meal and a gift. Giving money is part of almsgiving – an important practice in Advent. But buying gifts for those in need is much more personal. Another great practice is to have your children make home-made gifts and secretly leave them at the front door of friends and neighbors.

Yes, Advent is a hectic time of year for families. But these simple activities don’t take a lot of time. They just take a little conscious effort. And that conscious effort can add to the spiritual dimension of Advent and make your Christmas more meaningful. Give them a try!


 

 




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prayer corner

October - That journalists, in carrying out their work, may always be motivated by respect for truth and a strong sense of ethics.

November - That within parishes, priests and lay people may collaborate in service to the community without giving in to the temptation of discouragement.

December - That the peoples of Europe may rediscover the beauty, goodness, and truth of the Gospel which gives joy and hope to life.

Great Websites for Internet Safety

We encourage you to bookmark these websites and blogs or download these apps this month.

Covenant Eyes – I know – I know. When you first click on this site, you are going to be asked to purchase an internet filter for your computer. PLEASE go beyond their sales pitch and click on their blog tab to read great articles about internet safety, how to become an internet accountability partner with a family member or friend or to download the free ebook on Your Brain on Porn. The good folks that created this program have a vested interest in providing families with the tools needed to block the dark side of the web. Their services are considered “top shelf” and well suited to Catholic families. In fact, they also offer an app for persons who have become addicted to porn and want to break free from it. The app can be found at: http://www.covenanteyes.com/challenge/

Internet Safety 101 –Preventing the Internet-enabled exploitation of  children can seem like an overwhelming task as kids are at risk of encountering inappropriate content, dangerous people and engaging in risky behavior across multiple Internet platforms.  The good news is that you don’t need a Ph.D. in Internet technology to be a great cyber-parent.  However, you do need to make a commitment to become familiar with the technology your children use and to stay current with Internet safety issues. 

This website provides parents with the absolute basics for the safe use of the internet. If your children are on the net and you are NOT sitting at their side, you must visit this site and become educated, equipped and empowered.