Live Nativity and Cookie Walk, 2009

Thank You!

The St. Mary’s Parish School Family thanks all of the generous volunteers whose contributions made this annual event so special and so successful!  We thank you for

• Coordinating
• Organizing
• Baking
• Serving
• Singing
• Decorating
• Acting
• Donating
• And so much more!

Your combined efforts provided us all with a warm, wonderful, spirit-filled start to the holiday season.

Merry Christmas to All from the St. Mary’s Parish School Family!

]]> http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/12/11/photo-friday-live-nativity-and-cookie-walk/feed/ 0 http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/12/08/adventangelsangelesdeadviento/ http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/12/08/adventangelsangelesdeadviento/#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:17:22 +0000 St. Mary's Voices http://stmarywc.org/voices/?p=117 Just when it is clear to all of us that a New Year promise should include slowing down, the families at St. Mary’s Parish School are busy making other peoples’ lives a little warmer. Our families’ efforts at making love come alive for our resident-friends at West Chicago Terrace Nursing Home have become a tradition over the years. The program called, “Advent Angels,” brings warmth and love to each one of our friends there. Sometimes people are rarely remembered or seldom receive visitors. This gift-giving time offers them hope for new friendships, peace in their hearts that they are loved and sheer joy during the holiest time of the year.

Each year, every school family is asked to purchase special items for a resident-friend. Moms and dads,brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, hand deliver the Christmas gifts to their friends at the Terrace Nursing Home on Christmas Eve morning. The enthusiasm in our students and their resident friends leaves you in awe as you watch the faces of both young and old come together in the shared moment of Jesus Christ’s hope for us…to love and be loved.

The administrators at the Terrace Nursing Home are thrilled by everyone’s generosity and this holiday tradition. Just around Thanksgiving, the director visits each and every resident-friend and asks them, “What do you want for Christmas?” These ideas are then given to our school so that everyone at the Terrace receives something special they hoped for.

Often times our project needs a little extra help in the way of gift cards from local stores such as Jewel, Kohl’s, Target, and Borders. At the last moments just before Christmas Eve, new resident-friends join the Terrace and we want to make sure we have gifts for them, too. So our school committee will do last minute shopping. If you would like to donate to this important program, please drop off any gift card or monetary donation to the school office or the parish office.  If you would like a name of resident-friend so that you can make their Christmas special with a gift, please call the school office at 630-231-1776.

May we be ever thankful for the blessings that surround us and in Christ’s peace may we find our kneeling places before the newborn King. From all of us at St. Mary’s Parish and School, we wish a Merry Christmas to our resident-friends.

Justo cuando se nos aclara que una nueva

Promesa de Año Nuevo debe incluir el ir mas despacio, las familias de la escuela parroquial de Santa María están ocupadas haciendo mas tibias las vidas de otras personas. Esos esfuerzos traerán una vez mas alegría a los residentes del asilo West Chicago Terrace, como ha sido nuestra tradición en los últimos años. El programa denominado “Ángeles de Adviento,” lleva calidez y amor a cada uno de nuestros amigos del asilo. Algunas personas residentes del lugar, raramente son recordados y visitados. Este regalo de tiempo que se les brinda les inspira esperanza para hacer nuevos amigos, paz en sus corazones y les hace sentir amados y alegres en esta santa temporada del año.

Cada año, las familias de la escuela compran artículos especiales para esos residentes-amigos. Mamas, papas, hermanos y hermanas, familiares y amigos, llevan y entregan personalmente regalos navideños a los residentes el día 24 de diciembre. El entusiasmo de nuestros estudiantes y de los amigos de los residentes nos dejan sorprendidos al mirar sus rostros tanto de los jóvenes como de los viejos uniéndose y compartiendo un momento con Jesucristo y su esperanza de amar y ser amados.

Los administradores del lugar están maravillados por la generosidad de todos en estos tiempos de tradición. Cerca del Día de Acción de Gracias, la directora visita a todos y cada uno de los residentes y les pregunta “Que quiere usted para Navidad?” Entonces se hacen sugerencias a los padres de la escuela para que los residentes reciban algo especial que ellos esperaban.  Continuamente nuestro proyecto necesita de ayuda extraordinaria en la forma de tarjetas de regalo de las tiendas locales como Jewel, Kohl’s, Target, y Borders. Antes de la Nochebuena, de ultimo momento, se reúnen amigos de los residentes de la Terraza y queremos asegurarnos de tener algo para ellos también, así que el comité de nuestra escuela hace compras de ultimo minuto. Si usted quisiera donar para este importante programa, puede llevar tarjetas de regalo o donativos monetario a la oficina de la escuela o a la oficina parroquial. O si quisiera el nombre de alguno de los residentes a quien pueda usted hacer un regalo especial, por favor llame a la oficina de la escuela al (630)231-1776.

From the St. Mary’s Parish Bulletin, December 6th, 2009

Calling All Cookie Bakers!

(And Everyone who Loves to Eat Christmas Cookies, Too!)

On December 6, 2009,  St. Mary’s will hold its Annual Live Nativity, Christmas Concert, and Cookie Walk. Join us for an evening of Christmas spirit! Mingle near the live animals as you watch our 8th graders and a St. Mary’s family perform the Live Nativity. Savor delicious cookies while sipping hot chocolate or hot apple cider. Enjoy the lively caroling as our students sing some of your favorite Christmas songs

The Cookie Walk is a big fund-raiser for our PTO. In addition to our school families, we are also asking parish families who would be willing to participate to donate home-baked cookies for the event. If you are interested in donating cookies, please drop off your cookies (in disposable containers) at the School Office during the school day on Friday, December 4, or bring them to St. Francis Hall (the church basement) on Sunday, December 6 between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

For those of you who are interested in buying cookies during the event, you can pay $10 for the first bakery box ($5 for each additional box) and fill the box up with delicious holiday cookies. The Cookie Walk is from 4pm to 6:30pm on Sunday, December 6 in St. Francis Hall. We will also have hot cocoa and apple cider available.

Live Nativity presentations are at 5:15 and 6:00 p.m. and Christmas caroling by the students is going to be performed in between presentations.

If you have any questions about the Cookie Walk please contact us at cookiewalk@stmaryswc.org.

DID YOU KNOW? In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi, having a great love for Christmas, felt that people had lost the real meaning of Christ’s birth and the celebration had become too materialistic (sound familiar?). St. Francis came up with what he hoped would put the spotlight back where it belonged: on Jesus’ birth. He asked a friend who owned some wooded land in the little town of Greecio, Italy, to recreate that night in Bethlehem when the Infant Jesus was born. His friend agreed to do so and set up the first nativity scene, using live animals and people. It was said on that night that Francis’ message was so powerful that when the people looked into the empty manger, they saw the Christ Child.

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