Parishioner Profile: The Moore Family

THE MOORE FAMILY

THE MOORE FAMILY advent traditions

God certainly works in mysterious ways. My husband and I are an unlikely couple. Bill is a scientist who converted to Catholicism in his late 40’s after the death of his first wife. I am a computer scientist-turned-nurse practitioner who entered the church in my early 20’s. We met at the University of Pennsylvania Newman Center while I was in graduate school and Bill was working as a researcher. Despite an age difference of 18 years, we became fast friends. When I moved to Minnesota in 2001 to begin my first nurse practitioner position with the Religious Sisters of Mercy, Bill escorted me. The Sisters immediately liked Bill and asked him to stay and work on their farm for a week. This led to Bill himself moving to Minnesota later that year, and eventually to married bliss. God has entrusted us with two beautiful daughters, Mary Lou (age 15) and Magdalene (age 13). Currently, we live out educator vocations at Catholic institutions in Virginia and Washington DC, and we are active parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Triangle, VA. Following, we describe a few of our family’s Advent traditions. Advent Wreath and Jesse Tree Over the years our family has merged these two traditions into a combined practice. The first Sunday of Advent, we place an Advent wreath on our kitchen table and erect an old, artificial Christmas tree in the kitchen corner. Each evening after dinner we sing “Oh come, oh come Emmanuel,” recite the Advent wreath prayers, and light the wreath’s candle(s)--a coveted job that is often fought over. One person then reads the day’s Jesse Tree Bible verse, and everyone briefly shares what struck them most about the verse (Lectio Divina style). We then search through the huge pile of Jesse Tree ornaments--handmade ornaments from the first year we instituted this tradition (many now glued or taped back together from years of use) in addition to several images that have been printed out over the years to illustrate the readings. There are usually anywhere from 2-5 ornaments to be hung on the Jesse Tree each night. Ornament hanging is also a coveted job, and we have enjoyed seeing our children grow from tyrannical despots (grabbing the “best” ornaments) into skilled negotiators (in more recent years). Both the Jesse Tree and Advent Wreath are visual reminders to us of the coming of Christ. Each evening we are filled with comfort and anticipation as the candles provide light in our darkened kitchen and we see the ornaments slowly fill the Jesse Tree.

ADVENT CALENDAR: Every year, each child receives their own chocolate Advent calendar. The calendar image usually portrays a nativity scene--the holy family, star, wisemen, etc. Finding each day’s num-

bered “door” on the calendar, reading the associated Bible verse, and consuming the tiny piece of chocolate are highly anticipated moments each day of Advent. Because our children enjoy the calendars so much, we have extended this tradition beyond our nuclear family to other relatives and friends. We take great delight mailing out these calendars and imagining our friends and family eagerly opening the calendar doors each day.

BABY JESUS: Over the years we have accumulated a variety of nativity scenes. Some are intricate stables with several characters-–wisemen, shepherds, animals, etc. Others are a simple manger, like the piece of coconut shell with a plastic baby Jesus that I treasure from my time in Calcutta. One of our traditions is to remove the baby Jesus figurines from all the manger scenes and hide them away in a drawer until Christmas. When we look upon the empty mangers throughout Advent, our longing for His coming intensifies.

ADVENT ELF: Several years ago, an elf named Lucy appeared in our home. She has a reindeer named Magical and they return to our home each year on the first Sunday of Advent. Lucy can be mischievous of

course, but she is also very devout. We sometimes find her kneeling before an empty creche, clearly longing for Baby Jesus to be born. On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Lucy often wears her prettiest outfit to honor Mary, and one year on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe she left us a beautifully decorated Mexican creche. On her own feast day, Lucy usually wears a wreath with candles on her head and leaves us delicious bread to enjoy for breakfast. We miss Lucy when she departs on Christmas, and we look forward to her Advent arrival each year.

LIGHTSHOW: Each Advent we enjoy driving around the neighborhood to admire all the decorations. One year, we discovered our clear favorite: a house with an outdoor lightshow in their front yard. Instructions are posted to tune your radio to a station playing Christmas carols and their light display is choreographed to the music. This family has brought joy to countless others for years. We usually park, listen, and watch the lightshow for 3-5 carols, sometimes screaming out “Look at ---! Did you see ---?” or just sitting in silent admiration while listening to carols like “Silent Night.” Since our favorite Chinese restaurant is conveniently located near this house, we now look forward each Advent to an evening of Christmas lights and Chinese takeout. SERVICE: Each Advent we look forward to our parish’s “Un-Trim-a-Tree” drive and the challenge of finding the perfect gift for a little boy or girl. Some years we participate in making Christmas baskets and delivering them to those in our community. It is a privilege to be received into another’s home, and this experience always fills us with gratitude for our many blessings. Because Quantico is nearby, some years we participate in “Wreaths Across America.” Our first experience with this event amused us by the “OORAH” spirit we witnessed in some: Balance a large pole across your shoulders, load as many wreaths as you can carry on the pole, run as fast as you can to lay as many wreaths on as many graves as you can! Nevertheless, it is a moving experience to remember someone who sacrificed their life. And it is a privilege to honor their memory by laying a simple green wreath on their grave.

NIGHT LIGHTS: The Advent decorations I welcome the most are nighttime lights. At our home, we place a candle in most windows and we have simple white lights on our front porch and bushes. Winter’s dark and cold can sometimes dampen spirits and I am always gratified at how these small lights cut through the darkness to bring a sense of hope and joy. Like our Advent wreath candles, these lights are a visual reminder of the power of Christ overcoming Darkness.