We wait at the doctor’s office. We wait in traffic. We wait in line at the coffee shop. We wait our turn. We wait for a sign from God. We wait to be heard. We wait.
Advent is waiting, also, but not in the listless, zoned-out way like we might wait at the local coffee shop, nor in the anxious, bored way we might wait at the doctor’s office or in traffic. Advent is active waiting, when the Church readies—physically and spiritually—for the coming of the Christ child.
It is important to participate in the parish preparations. We are a community of believers, after all. It is also important to prepare ourselves personally. To that end, I have prepared a packet of downloadable prayer materials for this season of preparation, including:
- Two fully organized Advent prayer services, one specifically designed as a Penance service.
- A guided reflection on the name Emmanuel, “God with us,” perfect for classroom use.
- A family prayer card to encourage families to slow down and celebrate Advent together and open the discussion about what Advent means to each of us.
Let us approach the season of preparation and waiting with anticipation and excitement.
Hi Joe,
Thank you for sharing the Advent Resources.
Do you have in Spanish too??
May the Lord Bless You
You’re welcome Teresa. I’ll check to see if there are plans to make these available in Spanish.
Thank you, Joe, for sharing your resources with us. I truly appreciate it.
You’re welcome, Kate! Hard to believe that Advent is right around the corner!
Hi
I would love to down load the pdf but as I live in the UK don’t have a correct zip code.
Any way of getting round that?
HI Rebekah, yes, you can get around that by selecting ANY diocese and typing in 99999 for the zip code. That should work. If not, let me know!
Thank you so much for another wonderful resource!!!
You’re welcome, Pat!
Hi Joe, how do we access resources if our Archdiocese is not listed and it won’t allow us to enter alternate info?
Wendy, sorry about that. I’ll email it to you. Tell me specifically what you need.
I would love to tap into your wonderful resources but live in Canada and don’t qualify for any of the roles that you list. Also, I’m not using any of the programs that you offer. I am a member of our Parish Liturgical Planning Committee in a small parish which is struggling to survive.
Hi Nicole and thanks for your comment. You should be able to select any role and diocese and type in 99999 for the zip code to get the resources. If that doesn’t work, let me know and I’ll email them to you.
Thanks Joe! I teach 8th graders preparing for Confirmation. And would like to make an Advent wreath with them. I’m excited to receive your prayers and reflections for Advent to go along with this project! You are so wonderful to share, thanks again! Kimberly
We opened last years advent box and can’t find our advent prayer book :0 Thank you for coming to our rescue. God bless you
I am using your website for my 5th grade class @ St. Michael the Archangel Church. It is very helpful for looking up information for my class. Thank you Bernadette I have printed out the Jesse Tree stories about The Old Testament for the children to learn and understand it. We will also be making a Jesse Tree Sunday the 13th of November. Thank you.
I would love to get free reflections but it seems geared to school life however Im sure the prayers would be great in any establishment. Thanking you and God bless Sr. Catherine Ryan.
Dear Joe,
Thank you for all the inspirational and educative material. I am the catechetical director of the archdiocese of mumbai, india. I would like to have your permission to use these resources in our diocese. Thank you God bless. Fr. Vincent D’Cruz.
Greetings Vincent. You may certainly use these resources…are you able to access them?
Thank you for the prayers.
Thank you for your prayers.
Gracias
Thank you. We will use this for our online prayer group.