![CBS News “The Catholic Church: A House Divided?” (Part 1)]()
by Catherine | Dec 9, 2011 | Everything Else, Faith
Last Sunday, the CBS News Sunday Morning show aired this “cover story” reported by Barry Petersen: “The Catholic Church: A House Divided?” To read the full article or watch the video, click here.
Patrick Coffin, host of my favorite radio show Catholic Answers Live, is fond of talking about the low standards for journalists reporting on church news. He likes to say, “If I don’t know what an RBI is, the New York Times is not going to let me write a baseball column for them. But journalists who know nothing about Christianity are assigned to cover church news all the time.”
The lack of fact-checking and one-sidedness of this particular story illustrates the sad reality of this truth.
Msgr. Charles Pope did a great job responding to this article in his blog, and I would like to build on his ideas. There is so much to discuss from this 10-minute video and two-page article, that I’m tackling the issues separately and chronologically as they appear in the video and article.
Here are the issues addressed in the report:
- The excommunication of Sr. Margaret Mary McBride, R.S.M. in the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona.
- “Power-obsessed” Bishops
- Vatican II
- New Translation of the Roman Missal
- Apostolic Visitation to Religious Orders
- Current status of St. Margaret Mary McBride and St. Joseph Catholic Hospital
Today, I’m tackling numbers 1 and 2.
Issue 1: Excommunication of Sr. Margaret Mary McBride, R.S.M. in the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona
 |
| Sr. Margaret Mary McBride, R.S.M. |
- CBS Report Says: Sr. Margaret Mary McBride helped to save a woman’s life and was excommunicated by a cruel, obsessed with control Bishop Olmsted.
- Reality: Sr. Margaret Mary McBride counseled the doctors of St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital to perform a direct abortion and, consequently, excommunicated herself from the Catholic Church. Bishop Olmsted informed her of this fact.
Examining the Catholic Moral Principles at Work in This Case
The case in question involved a female patient 11 weeks along in her pregnancy who suffered from severe pulmonary hypertension. Fr. Tad Pacholczyk, Director of Education at the NCBC, is the author of a column called Making Sense out of Bioethics that appears in various diocesan newspapers across the country. Fr. Tad addresses pregnancies complicated by pulmonary hypertension in his July 2010 article “Difficult Pregnancies, Precarious Choices, and the Absolute Value of Innocent Lives.” Please take the time to read the brief article in its entirety. Fr. Tad makes this statement that cuts to the core: “Better two deaths than the direct taking of an innocent life.”
When there is a complicated pregnancy, the medical staff must do everything in its power to save the mother and the baby.
Recent advances in obstetrics and pre-natal medicine, along with so-called “expectant management” (close monitoring of a pregnancy with tailored interventions), have enabled an ever greater number of these high-risk pregnancies to be managed at least until the child reaches viability. Labor can then be induced or a C-section delivery can be scheduled. This ordinarily allows both mother and child to be saved.
Fr. Tad concludes the article with this statement:
These challenging “life of the mother” cases allow us to begin acknowledging some of our own limitations, and the mystery of God’s greater Providence, in the realization that we may not be able to “manage” or “correct” every difficult medical situation we face.
Now, let’s connect the Catholic moral principles to this case: Sr. Margaret Mary McBride was a member of the ethics committee at St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona that hears difficult medical cases and advises the medical staff how to proceed while also being faithful to Catholic Teaching. Sr. McBride counseled the medical staff to perform a direct abortion. As established above, the direct killing of a human being to save another is never morally permissible. I’ll touch on her excommunication below.
How the CBS Report Paints the Case
The reporter introduces Sr. McBride by the description of “a respected nun” and member of the hospital ethics committee. After briefly explaining the patient’s medical condition, the reporter says, “Modern medicine presented two equally grim options: terminate the pregnancy and save the mother, or lose both mother and child.”
The reporter interviews Dr. Charles Alfano, St. Joseph’s Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Charles Alfano claims, “And as a result, we made the difficult decision, but the decision that we had to make, to terminate the pregnancy.” Petersen glibly asks, “So, no matter what you guys had done, the child would have died?” Dr. Charles Alfano responds, “Correct.” This quick exchange excuses the direct killing of the baby because the doctors “had to” do it because child would have likely died had the staff decided to let the pregnancy run its course.
The report goes on to say that the excommunication of Sr. McBride created a media frenzy, and the video shows a headline that reads, “Why does saving a life merit excommunication?” Not surprisingly, the story got it wrong. It was the abortion that caused Sr. McBride’s excommunication, not the consequential survival of the mother.
How Excommunication Works in the Context of Abortion
Canon 1398 states, “a person who procures a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication.” So, anyone who performs, receives, encourages, or cooperates in any way with the abortion is automatically excommunicated from the moment the abortion is completed. A person who is excommunicated must refrain from Holy Communion until after he or she has received absolution in the Sacrament of Confession and absolution from the excommunication.
Because Sr. McBride encouraged the abortion (the direct killing of the baby) as a member of the hospital ethics committee, she incurred a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication. Bishop Olmsted’s role was being the messenger in letting Sr. McBride know that she incurred this penalty as a result of her actions.
Being a penalty, it supposes guilt; and being the most serious penalty that the Church can inflict, it naturally supposes a very grave offence. It is also a medicinal rather than a vindictive penalty, being intended, not so much to punish the culprit, as to correct him and bring him back to the path of righteousness. It necessarily, therefore, contemplates the future, either to prevent the recurrence of certain culpable acts that have grievous external consequences, or, more especially, to induce the delinquent to satisfy the obligations incurred by his offence.
Because we believe as Catholics that our actions have eternal consequences, we are in danger of eternal damnation should be die in a state of moral sin (i.e., procuring an abortion). Since that’s the case, shouldn’t we Catholics be glad that Mother Church, through its ministers, does all that it can to (1) inform its members when they are out of communion, and (2) encourage them to repent of their actions to be back in full communion?
Issue 2: “Power-Obsessed” Bishops
The report goes on to interview Father Thomas Doyle.
Father Thomas Doyle, who specializes in church law and once worked for the Vatican’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., said, “The excommunication of the sister, I thought, was an extremely cruel act. I can’t describe it in any other way.”
Father Doyle is now an outspoken critic of the church, and says what happened in Phoenix points to an unfolding trend within the church.
“It tells me that within the hierarchy, there is a great deal of fear, that there is almost an obsession with control, that there’s an inability, I think, to deal with the 21st century.
“The bishop in Phoenix is not unique,” Father Doyle said. “There are many, many like him.”
A few points here:
- Sr. McBride automatically excommunicated herself by counseling the medical staff to perform an abortion. Bishop Olmsted merely informed her of her status as an act of charity.
- “what happened in Phoenix points to an unfolding trend within the church.”
- The implied trend is that the bishops across the country are going rogue, trying to squash its members and excommunicate anyone who gets in their way. Characterizing the bishops in this way causes further division and mistrust of the Church leadership.
- Faithful Catholics should see the medicinal role of excommunication and pray that their bishops will continue to act charitably toward its members, helping them to rectify any actions that may have caused their excommunication.
Directly following Father Thomas Doyle’s critique of the U.S. bishops, the story lists two examples of U.S. bishops exercising their authority against (1) the schismatic American Catholic Council who wants the Church to ordain women and (2) Sr. Elizabeth Johnson’s “Quest for the Living God” :
Take Archbishop Allen Vigneron in Detroit, who has spoken against the American Catholic Council, a group promoting change within the church, including the ordination of women.
Or the U.S. Conference of Bishops: They’ve critiqued and investigated the writings of Sister Elizabeth Johnson, a feminist theologian whose book “Quest for the Living God” has become popular among liberal Catholics.
A few points on these examples:
- The American Catholic Council is a schismatic group acting under the guise of “Church renewal.” Church renewal is a beautiful thing to be embraced as Archbishop Allen Vigneron wrote in his letter to the group. Proclaiming that changes such as the ordination of women must be made “in the spirit of Vatican II” are contrary to the Catholic faith, and Archbishop Vigneron rightly tried to put an end to their meeting in Detroit. You can read his full letter on the Archdiocese of Detroit website.
- Sister Elizabeth Johnson’s book is problematic because it promotes modalism. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ position is explained in this article by the National Catholic Reporter.
Let’s Sum It Up
- Sr. McBride automatically excommunicated herself by counseling the medical staff at St. Joseph Catholic Hospital to perform an abortion.
- Bishop Olmsted acted charitably in acting as messenger in bringing this to Sr. McBride’s attention.
- Bishops who work to ensure that the faithful in their area are acting in accord to the laws of the church are not “power-obsessed”; they are exercising their office in the Church that Christ created.
I’ll tackle the rest of the issues tomorrow!
![CBS News "The Catholic Church: A House Divided?" (Part 1)]()
by Catherine | Dec 9, 2011 | Everything Else, Faith
Last Sunday, the CBS News Sunday Morning show aired this “cover story” reported by Barry Petersen: “The Catholic Church: A House Divided?” To read the full article or watch the video, click here.
Patrick Coffin, host of my favorite radio show Catholic Answers Live, is fond of talking about the low standards for journalists reporting on church news. He likes to say, “If I don’t know what an RBI is, the New York Times is not going to let me write a baseball column for them. But journalists who know nothing about Christianity are assigned to cover church news all the time.”
The lack of fact-checking and one-sidedness of this particular story illustrates the sad reality of this truth.
Msgr. Charles Pope did a great job responding to this article in his blog, and I would like to build on his ideas. There is so much to discuss from this 10-minute video and two-page article, that I’m tackling the issues separately and chronologically as they appear in the video and article.
Here are the issues addressed in the report:
- The excommunication of Sr. Margaret Mary McBride, R.S.M. in the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona.
- “Power-obsessed” Bishops
- Vatican II
- New Translation of the Roman Missal
- Apostolic Visitation to Religious Orders
- Current status of St. Margaret Mary McBride and St. Joseph Catholic Hospital
Today, I’m tackling numbers 1 and 2.
Issue 1: Excommunication of Sr. Margaret Mary McBride, R.S.M. in the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona
|
| Sr. Margaret Mary McBride, R.S.M. |
- CBS Report Says: Sr. Margaret Mary McBride helped to save a woman’s life and was excommunicated by a cruel, obsessed with control Bishop Olmsted.
- Reality: Sr. Margaret Mary McBride counseled the doctors of St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital to perform a direct abortion and, consequently, excommunicated herself from the Catholic Church. Bishop Olmsted informed her of this fact.
Examining the Catholic Moral Principles at Work in This Case
The case in question involved a female patient 11 weeks along in her pregnancy who suffered from severe pulmonary hypertension. Fr. Tad Pacholczyk, Director of Education at the NCBC, is the author of a column called Making Sense out of Bioethics that appears in various diocesan newspapers across the country. Fr. Tad addresses pregnancies complicated by pulmonary hypertension in his July 2010 article “Difficult Pregnancies, Precarious Choices, and the Absolute Value of Innocent Lives.” Please take the time to read the brief article in its entirety. Fr. Tad makes this statement that cuts to the core: “Better two deaths than the direct taking of an innocent life.”
When there is a complicated pregnancy, the medical staff must do everything in its power to save the mother and the baby.
Recent advances in obstetrics and pre-natal medicine, along with so-called “expectant management” (close monitoring of a pregnancy with tailored interventions), have enabled an ever greater number of these high-risk pregnancies to be managed at least until the child reaches viability. Labor can then be induced or a C-section delivery can be scheduled. This ordinarily allows both mother and child to be saved.
Fr. Tad concludes the article with this statement:
These challenging “life of the mother” cases allow us to begin acknowledging some of our own limitations, and the mystery of God’s greater Providence, in the realization that we may not be able to “manage” or “correct” every difficult medical situation we face.
Now, let’s connect the Catholic moral principles to this case: Sr. Margaret Mary McBride was a member of the ethics committee at St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona that hears difficult medical cases and advises the medical staff how to proceed while also being faithful to Catholic Teaching. Sr. McBride counseled the medical staff to perform a direct abortion. As established above, the direct killing of a human being to save another is never morally permissible. I’ll touch on her excommunication below.
How the CBS Report Paints the Case
The reporter introduces Sr. McBride by the description of “a respected nun” and member of the hospital ethics committee. After briefly explaining the patient’s medical condition, the reporter says, “Modern medicine presented two equally grim options: terminate the pregnancy and save the mother, or lose both mother
and child.”
The reporter interviews Dr. Charles Alfano, St. Joseph’s Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Charles Alfano claims, “And as a result, we made the difficult decision, but the decision that we had to make, to terminate the pregnancy.” Petersen glibly asks, “So, no matter what you guys had done, the child would have died?” Dr. Charles Alfano responds, “Correct.” This quick exchange excuses the direct killing of the baby because the doctors “had to” do it because child would have likely died had the staff decided to let the pregnancy run its course.
The report goes on to say that the excommunication of Sr. McBride created a media frenzy, and the video shows a headline that reads, “Why does saving a life merit excommunication?” Not surprisingly, the story got it wrong. It was the abortion that caused Sr. McBride’s excommunication, not the consequential survival of the mother.
How Excommunication Works in the Context of Abortion
Canon 1398 states, “a person who procures a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication.” So, anyone who performs, receives, encourages, or cooperates in any way with the abortion is automatically excommunicated from the moment the abortion is completed. A person who is excommunicated must refrain from Holy Communion until after he or she has received absolution in the Sacrament of Confession and absolution from the excommunication.
Because Sr. McBride encouraged the abortion (the direct killing of the baby) as a member of the hospital ethics committee, she incurred a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication. Bishop Olmsted’s role was being the messenger in letting Sr. McBride know that she incurred this penalty as a result of her actions.
Being a penalty, it supposes guilt; and being the most serious penalty that the Church can inflict, it naturally supposes a very grave offence. It is also a medicinal rather than a vindictive penalty, being intended, not so much to punish the culprit, as to correct him and bring him back to the path of righteousness. It necessarily, therefore, contemplates the future, either to prevent the recurrence of certain culpable acts that have grievous external consequences, or, more especially, to induce the delinquent to satisfy the obligations incurred by his offence.
Because we believe as Catholics that our actions have eternal consequences, we are in danger of eternal damnation should be die in a state of moral sin (i.e., procuring an abortion). Since that’s the case, shouldn’t we Catholics be glad that Mother Church, through its ministers, does all that it can to (1) inform its members when they are out of communion, and (2) encourage them to repent of their actions to be back in full communion?
Issue 2: “Power-Obsessed” Bishops
The report goes on to interview Father Thomas Doyle.
Father Thomas Doyle, who specializes in church law and once worked for the Vatican’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., said, “The excommunication of the sister, I thought, was an extremely cruel act. I can’t describe it in any other way.”
Father Doyle is now an outspoken critic of the church, and says what happened in Phoenix points to an unfolding trend within the church.
“It tells me that within the hierarchy, there is a great deal of fear, that there is almost an obsession with control, that there’s an inability, I think, to deal with the 21st century.
“The bishop in Phoenix is not unique,” Father Doyle said. “There are many, many like him.”
A few points here:
- Sr. McBride automatically excommunicated herself by counseling the medical staff to perform an abortion. Bishop Olmsted merely informed her of her status as an act of charity.
- “what happened in Phoenix points to an unfolding trend within the church.”
- The implied trend is that the bishops across the country are going rogue, trying to squash its members and excommunicate anyone who gets in their way. Characterizing the bishops in this way causes further division and mistrust of the Church leadership.
- Faithful Catholics should see the medicinal role of excommunication and pray that their bishops will continue to act charitably toward its members, helping them to rectify any actions that may have caused their excommunication.
Directly following Father Thomas Doyle’s critique of the U.S. bishops, the story lists two examples of U.S. bishops exercising their authority against (1) the schismatic American Catholic Council who wants the Church to ordain women and (2) Sr. Elizabeth Johnson’s “Quest for the Living God” :
Take Archbishop Allen Vigneron in Detroit, who has spoken against the American Catholic Council, a group promoting change within the church, including the ordination of women.
Or the U.S. Conference of Bishops: They’ve critiqued and investigated the writings of Sister Elizabeth Johnson, a feminist theologian whose book “Quest for the Living God” has become popular among liberal Catholics.
A few points on these examples:
- The American Catholic Council is a schismatic group acting under the guise of “Church renewal.” Church renewal is a beautiful thing to be embraced as Archbishop Allen Vigneron wrote in his letter to the group. Proclaiming that changes such as the ordination of women must be made “in the spirit of Vatican II” are contrary to the Catholic faith, and Archbishop Vigneron rightly tried to put an end to their meeting in Detroit. You can read his full letter on the Archdiocese of Detroit website.
- Sister Elizabeth Johnson’s book is problematic because it promotes modalism. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ position is explained in this article by the National Catholic Reporter.
Let’s Sum It Up
- Sr. McBride automatically excommunicated herself by counseling the medical staff at St. Joseph Catholic Hospital to perform an abortion.
- Bishop Olmsted acted charitably in acting as messenger in bringing this to Sr. McBride’s attention.
- Bishops who work to ensure that the faithful in their area are acting in accord to the laws of the church are not “power-obsessed”; they are exercising their office in the Church that Christ created.
I’ll tackle the rest of the issues tomorrow!
![Did You Know Thursday is Mother’s Day?]()
by Catherine | Dec 6, 2011 | Faith, Family
Ok, so maybe we don’t celebrate Mother’s Day on Thursday, December 8th in the United States, but I’m going to make the case that all Catholic families should.
In the Catholic Church, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8. The Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day of Obligation celebrating that Mary was free from the effects of Original Sin from the moment of her conception. Pope Pius IX elevated December 8 as a Holy Day of Obligation in 1854 when he declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
It should come as no surprise that December 8, The Immaculate Conception, is also a national holiday and Mother’s Day (El Día de la Madre) in Panama. Because it is a national holiday, families are free to attend Mass together in celebration of their spiritual mother, Mary, and come together to celebrate their earthly mothers as well. Family members give moms a day off from her usual labors and honor her with a special meal that they prepare for her. How cool is that?
Consider making December 8th Mother’s Day for your family. (I’m sure the mothers in your life wouldn’t object to celebrating in May as well!) Children and husbands, tell the mother in your life to take the day off from laundry, cooking, and cleaning. Make her breakfast in bed. Guys, if cooking isn’t your thing, go out to dinner as a family at her favorite restaurant. Write her a card letting her know how important she is in your life. Encourage all of her children to do the same. Nothing beats a handmade card or gift from a child!
Don’t forget where you came from! Write letters or give a call to Grandma and Great-Grandma as well. Share stories of the matriarchs in the family.
We must not forget to celebrate the other spiritual mothers in our lives. These women are usually forgotten on Mother’s Day because they may not be physical mothers. Perhaps there is a special consecrated religious, faith-filled neighbor, old teacher, or a great friend who, by her presence in your life, draws you into a closer relationship to God. Thank her.
On December 8th, we should give thanks to God for the gift of our spiritual mother, Mary. We should pray that our earthly mothers (biological, adoptive, or spiritual) will magnify the greatness of the Lord for their families, local communities, and the world. May all women come to live out the fullness of their vocation as physical and spiritual mothers.
The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being acknowledged in its fullness, the hour in which women acquire in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women impregnated with a spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid humanity in not falling.*
* Taken from Closing Speeches, Vatican Council II, To Women, read by Leon Cardinal Duval of Algiers, Algeria, assisted by Julius Cardinal Doepfner of Munich, Germany, and Raul Cardinal Silva of Santiago, Chile, December 8, 1965, printed by the Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, Mass., 29.
![Did You Know Thursday is Mother's Day?]()
by Catherine | Dec 6, 2011 | Faith, Family
Ok, so maybe we don’t celebrate Mother’s Day on Thursday, December 8th in the United States, but I’m going to make the case that all Catholic families should.
In the Catholic Church, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8. The Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day of Obligation celebrating that Mary was free from the effects of Original Sin from the moment of her conception. Pope Pius IX elevated December 8 as a Holy Day of Obligation in 1854 when he declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
It should come as no surprise that December 8, The Immaculate Conception, is also a national holiday and Mother’s Day (El Día de la Madre) in Panama. Because it is a national holiday, families are free to attend Mass together in celebration of their spiritual mother, Mary, and come together to celebrate their earthly mothers as well. Family members give moms a day off from her usual labors and honor her with a special meal that they prepare for her. How cool is that?
Consider making December 8th Mother’s Day for your family. (I’m sure the mothers in your life wouldn’t object to celebrating in May as well!) Children and husbands, tell the mother in your life to take the day off from laundry, cooking, and cleaning. Make her breakfast in bed. Guys, if cooking isn’t your thing, go out to dinner as a family at her favorite restaurant. Write her a card letting her know how important she is in your life. Encourage all of her children to do the same. Nothing beats a handmade card or gift from a child!
Don’t forget where you came from! Write letters or give a call to Grandma and Great-Grandma as well. Share stories of the matriarchs in the family.
We must not forget to celebrate the other spiritual mothers in our lives. These women are usually forgotten on Mother’s Day because they may not be physical mothers. Perhaps there is a special consecrated religious, faith-filled neighbor, old teacher, or a great friend who, by her presence in your life, draws you into a closer relationship to God. Thank her.
On December 8th, we should give thanks to God for the gift of our spiritual mother, Mary. We should pray that our earthly mothers (biological, adoptive, or spiritual) will magnify the greatness of the Lord for their families, local communities, and the world. May all women come to live out the fullness of their vocation as physical and spiritual mothers.
The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being acknowledged in its fullness, the hour in which women acquire in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women impregnated with a spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid humanity in not falling.*
* Taken from Closing Speeches, Vatican Council II, To Women, read by Leon Cardinal Duval of Algiers, Algeria, assisted by Julius Cardinal Doepfner of Munich, Germany, and Raul Cardinal Silva of Santiago, Chile, December 8, 1965, printed by the Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, Mass., 29.
![Feast of St. Nicholas and a Great Book]()
by Catherine | Dec 5, 2011 | Faith
How is your Advent going? I’ve been enjoying my daily Advent devotional on EWTN’s website. The daily reflection is based on a Scripture verse. Then, there is a short reflection followed by an “Advent Action” (something you can do to put the day’s lesson into action), and a closing prayer.
Philip gave me a wonderful book that I have to recommend for every Catholic home! Fittingly, it’s called The Catholic Home: Celebrations and Traditions for Holidays, Feast Days, and Every Day by Meredith Gould, Ph.D. (I’ve linked to Amazon.com, but I encourage you to purchase the book from your local Catholic bookstore if you can.)
The book introduces the reader to the beautiful traditions available to us through the celebration of the liturgical calendar. In addition to the liturgical seasons, there are other sections on topics such as daily devotions, honoring the sacraments, making time, Mary, essential prayers, and recommended resources.
This book has been a great resource to me. I am learning so much, and I am loving all of the ideas I am getting for our home and family. Next year, for example, I hope to adopt the tradition of having a Jesse Tree. How cute is this one?! Here’s the link with directions on how to make this particular tree.
The author suggests giving Santa “a sacred makeover” by restoring St. Nicholas Eve (December 5) and St. Nicholas Day (December 6). St. Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop of Myra (in modern-day Turkey). Among his contributions were being present at the Council of Nicaea and condemning Arianism. On her section about St. Nicholas, Gould says:
During the sixteenth century, the stately St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, patron saint of children in the Eastern Churches, was transformed into a boisterous, hefty old man with a long white beard. The red getup and beard happen to have been modeled (by Dutch Protestants) on the Norse god Thor who lived in “Northland” and traveled the skies in a goat-drawn chariot. How St. Nicholas morphed into Santa Claus is somewhat of an enigma, although Nicholas of Myra was known for comforting orphans with little gifts (20).
If you would like to honor this saint, consider adopting the tradition of writing a letter to the Christ Child like the European and Canadian Catholics do. Be sure to leave the note on the windowsill for St. Nicholas to pick up and deliver.
If you’re more hardcore (and confident in your children’s religious formation), adopt the tradition of Eastern Europe and the Low Countries. Have St. Nicholas arrive on December 6. Rather than a red suit, he wears a white robe and the bishop mitre. Holding his staff, he asks children to recite their Catechism or prayers. Traditional gifts include cookies, chocolate, apples, nuts, and holy cards. Instead of opening gifts on Christmas Day, children receive their presents on January 6th, The Feast of the Epiphany (celebration of the Magi’s visit to the Christ Child).
The book says nothing about shoes, but the Feast of St. Nicholas tradition at my house will involve shoes! My children will leave their shoes outside of their bedrooms, and St. Nicholas will fill them with gold chocolate coins, a clementine (or other fruit), and a Holy Card. How cute are these precious little shoes???
Have you ever celebrated the Feast of St. Nicholas at your house? What do you do to celebrate?
![Advent at Our House]()
by Catherine | Nov 29, 2011 | Faith
Sorry I’ve been MIA from the blogging world. It’s been a busy last week and a half with my birthday, two family Thanksgivings, and getting ready for Christmas!
I thought I’d write about the traditions we’re starting at my house for Advent.
Last year for my birthday, Philip bought me a beautiful Fontanini nativity set. We’ll continue to add to it through the years, but for now we have all of the major players — Mary, Joseph, the Baby Jesus, the Angel Gabriel, two cows, and random bonus villager guy, Enoch. I didn’t feel right leaving Enoch in his box, so he hangs out outside of the stable. Just know when you look at the picture that he’s not a lone wise man!
This year for my birthday, Philip got me a pretty pewter Advent wreath and candles.
 |
| The Advent Wreath has verses on all four sides. |
Since Janie and Walt are still so little, we wanted to start an Advent tradition that will hold their attention. The nativity set and Advent wreath are on the buffet table where little eyes can see them but not reach them! We turn off the lights after dinner and kneel in front of the buffet table in the dining room. We light the Advent candle(s) and turn on the light in the nativity scene. We sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and “Silent Night.” Then, Philip leads us in a spontaneous prayer. Usually, it has something to do with what we’re grateful for that day and asking for the gift of faith for our children.
 |
| Advent Wreath and Nativity Scene on the buffet table. Baby Jesus isn’t missing; He doesn’t come until Christmas! |
Janie loves this new tradition! She looks at the lit Advent candle and says, “Wow!” She’s thrilled that she gets to blow out the Advent candles each night, and everyone claps for her and says, “Yay!” We’re still working on the little niceties of prayer like folding her hands, the Sign of the Cross, etc., but she’s learning what it means when we say it’s time to pray. For now, we’re thrilled to get two songs and a prayer in without any major meltdowns from Janie or Walt.
Our parish gave out an Advent booklet with a Gospel reading and reflection for each day. Philip and I read through that together before going to bed. Hopefully we can do something like that together as a whole family in front of the nativity scene and Advent wreath when the kids are a little older.
What do you and your family do to celebrate Advent? Do you have a nightly or weekly tradition?
