Article by Phoenix writer Paulina Barnjak ’24:
As Thanksgiving passes and the weather turns colder and colder, the holiday spirit fills the air and the season of Advent begins. Advent is a season for Catholics to prepare for the birth of Christ.
This past week, Kellenberg teamed up with the fellow Marianist students of St. Martin de Porres elementary school for the annual Advent prayer service. This prayer service consisted of a Charlie Brown themed video featuring the talented third graders of St. Martin’s.
The short film taught the students a valuable lesson about the true meaning of Christmas. During the holidays, many are excited to celebrate and spend time with family. However, like Charlie Brown. some don’t feel the Christmas spirit and cannot find the true meaning and happiness of Christmas. Charlie Brown tries to find this happiness in many different ways, but none work. In the end, he is reminded that the true meaning of Christmas is not found in all the superficial but in the birth of Jesus in the manger. For Advent, the students should put away the stresses of life and focus on Christ.
After the video, seniors George Pappas, Margaret Oldak, and Gianna Tamburrino sang a beautiful meditation on the coming of Christ as the students from St. Martin’s presented the nativity scene.
Fr. Thomas Cardone, S.M., then explained each character of the Nativity and how their role was significant in the birth of Jesus.
The Advent Prayer Service was a perfect reminder of what is most important in this Advent season.