Advent and Christmas

Photo by Victor Guevarra on Unsplash Lord, during this time of Advent, help us to prepare ourselves for the gift of Christ’s birth. Open our hearts to the joy that it brings. Just as St. Francis…

Photo by Walter Chávez on Unsplash Our founder, St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), was deeply touched by the Incarnation of Jesus. God’s decision to take human form became an essential part of Franciscan spirituality. Francis was very moved…

Credit: Natalia Semenova, iStock by Getty Images Advent is a time of waiting. I pose the question: “What are we waiting for?” Jesus the Incarnate Word of God has already come into the world. “For God so loved…

  Advent 2022 The first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2022, starts the new Liturgical Year—a new journey of faith and spiritual preparation. Advent is a wonderful opportunity to reexamine where we have been and where we want to…

The Franciscan friars wish you and your family a Blessed Advent, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! Br. Gabriel Balassone, OFM, sings O Holy Night, recorded at the St. Anthony Shrine in 2014. The accompanying images in the video…

Colleen’s cherished Christmas castle decoration. In April, we moved from Ohio to Georgia. After 27 years in the same house, there was a lot of purging, selling, donating and giving things away to nieces and nephews. We are…

Mary, Gate of Heaven in Negril, Jamaica, all lit up for Advent and Christmas. Photo by Jim Bok, OFM In September 2008 I arrived as a missionary in Negril, Jamaica. October came and went and then November came…

Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year and begins on Sunday, November 28. While Advent is meant to be a time of joyful anticipation of the birth of our Savior, it is often overshadowed by the hustle and…

While 2020 has challenged us in ways we never expected, it also proved that with God, and a little help from our friends, all things are possible. With the Christmas Season upon us, there is no better time than…