“To live is to be slowly born.”


Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Sunflower Seeds

Celebrating Everyday Spirituality

Advent Long Ago   

The Church Year developed over several centuries, and the Church calendar continues to change as new saints are added. In the first century advent2the Church calendar consisted almost exclusively of Sundays and one whopping Sunday called Easter. Eventually Lent was added to prepare for Easter. It was then logical to add Advent as a preparation for Christmas, and traces of Advent occurred in France at the end of the fourth century. Originally Advent involved three days of fasting per week. Advent began on the Feast of St. Martin (November 11) and continued through Christmas and Epiphany in modified form. This two-month period of time was known as St. Martin’s Lent, for it included 40 fast days. This fast was primarily a time of baptismal preparation, for Epiphany was one of the main days for Baptism of adults.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Blog Posts

Once a homilist told the congregation to “take Jesus along with you throughout the day.” Hearing the homily, a carpenter decided to do just that. He drank his coffee along with Jesus, but the cup spilled all over his work. Then he grabbed a bag of nails, which turned upside

After God revealed the God self to Moses as gracious, slow to anger and rich in kindness, Moses worshiped and offered God an invitation: “Do come along in our company.” Reading this, I felt a bit aghast at such a bold request. Would God really want to come along with

Meet Sr. Valerie

As Sisters of Notre Dame, Mary is a model for us as we seek to experience and express God’s goodness and provident care in the unfolding of each day. Join us on the journey!

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Loading

Upcoming Events

Weekend retreat at Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center, Pulaski, PA
October 11-13, 2024
Retreat with the Sisters of Loretto, Nerinx, KY
September 8-13, 2024
Retreat at Lial Renewal Center, Whitehouse, OH
August 11-18, 2024
Retreat at Heartland Center for Spirituality, Great Bend, KS
April 14-19, 2024
First Friday Club in Youngstown, Ohio
April 4, 2024