Advent Season at CDH

December 8, 2021

With our beautiful Nativity scene along Hamline, decorations inside the school, and special opportunities to faithfully prepare for Christmas as a community, Cretin-Derham Hall joyfully embraces Advent.

This year, we have celebrated with a number of worship events: an all-school Advent prayer service on December 1, Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration on December 3, and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass. 

The Mass was pre-recorded and viewed in class, for social distancing purposes. It featured an instrumental prelude by Riley Klaus '23 and Julianna Klein '22, a second instrumental piece midway through the Mass offered by Luna McLeod '24, and a closing vocal piece by Anna Ek '23 and Tavary Un '23.

This month, in the spirit of the season, students also created cards for local nursing homes, sponsored a blood drive, and will host the Lasallian Youth Christmas Party at Community of Saints.

Advent Reflections

Campus Minister Mark McGuire reminders us that as we wait for the coming of Jesus - as we anticipate and prepare our hearts for the ultimate gift - we all need to take time to make sure there is room in our hearts, or room at our Inn, to welcome Him.

"I love this time of year as it serves as an annual wake-up call," said McGuire. "The call is to be a community, a call for peace, joy, and hope for those around us, a call to reset our lives, to realize it is good to be alive, good to be on this earth, good to be human - there is nothing to be ashamed of and everything to live for, this is what God wants for us."

Peter Gleich, Campus Minister added that this is the season of love and how God fully entered into our world in every way possible as a beautiful expression of His love.  

"Advent is ultimately about Love, about God's endless love and belief in God's creation," said Gleich. It is our hope that each of us will feel that love, that embrace, that belief that God has for and in each one of us. And, it is our hope that each of us will share that love, that embrace, that belief with others- both those we know and especially with those who are 'strangers' to us."

We hope that our students, families, alumni, faculty, staff, and the wider community all feel embraced by God's love this holy season.