MAHANOY CITY - Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Church in Mahanoy City hosted a workshop on Saturday morning for the making of Advent wreaths for use in homes to help make the spiritual preparatory time before Christmas more profound.
Twelve children and adults participated in the workshop in the church hall with the help of coordinators Debbie Walker, Bonnie Keff and Janice Maziekas. Participants took their places at tables with the materials needed to make the homemade wreaths. Today is the First Sunday of Advent, which marks the first day of the new liturgical year in many Western Christian churches.
The wreaths used live evergreen branches and other materials provided by Wendy's Flowers. The candles were battery operated for safety.
This was the first workshop of its kind held at the parish, with the hope that it will become an annual event to get more people involved in this long-time holiday tradition. The wreaths took about an hour to make. Participants paid $10, which included the candles and other items, including the prayers as the candles are lighted.
Keff demonstrated for Ian Minalda, 10, of Ringtown, how to get started with his wreath.
"Take your greenery and fill it in however you want. It's your creation," Keff said. "The idea is to have a circle of greenery and then your candles that represent each Sunday in Advent."
The Advent wreath's origins go back to the pre-Germanic people who used wreaths with lit candles during the cold days of December as a sign of hope, according to an article by the Rev. William Saunders in the "Arlington Catholic Herald." He also wrote that the Scandinavians would light candles that were placed around a wheel to pray to the god of light to restore warmth and lengthen the days.
The Germanic people incorporated the wreath into the Christian season of Advent. The circular shape of the wreath is a representation of eternal life. The four candles - three purple and one pink/rose - are signs of light, with the purple candles, which are lighted on the first, second and fourth Sundays in Advent, indicating that the season is a time of prayer, and the rose/pink candle is for rejoicing on the third Sunday, which is also called Gaudete Sunday.
The use of the Advent wreath didn't become popular in Europe until the 19th century, and it became a tradition in the early 20th century in America when many German immigrants arrived.
Walker said the idea comes from a similar initiative in another Schuylkill County borough.
"A woman in Tamaqua started it in her church, and she passed the idea along to us. They've been doing it at St. Jerome's for a few years now," Walker said. "She told us what to do and what to put into the kits. Wendy's Flowers helped us out with the live greenery, which was really good."
Walker said she hopes the event will grow in subsequent years as a simple way to start a tradition of family worship in the home.
"It's starting out small, but we're hoping it will continue to grow," she said. "Father (Kevin) Gallagher and the rest of us really want to make our parish youth and family friendly. This is a nice family project."
The Advent wreath makers are encouraged to have Gallagher, pastor, or another priest to bless the wreaths.