St. Vincent School students ‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’

By The Intermountain Catholic (December 18, 2015)

Every Monday morning during Advent, all Saint Vincent de Paul School students gather in the gym for an Advent prayer service led by the kindergarten class.

To start the prayer service, everyone sings, “Stay awake, be ready, you do not know the hour that the Lord is coming. Stay awake, be ready, the Lord in coming soon. Alleluia, alleluia, the Lord is coming soon.”

Clapping and hand motions accompany the song. Five kindergarten students representing candles on the Advent wreath stand in the middle of all the students who have encircled them for this service. A student reads the prayer: “We praise you, O God, for this evergreen crown. It prepares us for Christ’s advent. He’s coming! He’s coming! The evergreen is a symbol of eternal life. The candle is a symbol of Christ, the Light of the World.”

During the school’s Advent celebration, felt flames are placed on the heads of the kindergartners representing the candles as they switch on the light of an LED candle they are holding. Each week a different message of preparation is proclaimed. The second week of Advent, the students heard the message, “As we light the second candle, open our hearts to serve you with joy.”

The Advent wreath service is a wonderful way for the school to build community and excitement for preparing the way of the Lord.

Photo courtesy of Saint Vincent de Paul School