Advent 2020

Advent is often an overlooked season as Christmas becomes more and more commercialized. Advent is the liturgical season of four weeks devoted to preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. It is a time of waiting and watching, of yearning and hoping. We are invited to recognize our deep need for God and to acknowledge that God has come (in the Incarnate Word, the person of Jesus Christ), that God comes to us today most fully in the sacraments of the Church, and that God will come at the end of time, ushering in the new heavens and the new earth.
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This Advent, we want to help all of our parishioners engage this beautiful season with fervor. Please utilize the resources below for personal prayer and for the good of your whole family.

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St. Gertrude Church’s Advent/Christmas Gift 2020

We have made available for each family, a CD/Digital Download Card from Ignite Your Parish containing weekly talks by Fr. Dave Pivonka of The Wild Goose Ministries and music by The Vigil Project. Provided alongside the talks and music is an online devotional companion booklet that takes us deeper into the meaning of Advent and Christmas. This booklet can be used by families, and individuals to break open the message each week.

Every registered parishioner will receive the physical CD in the mail. The instructions for downloading a digital copy of the CD and accessing the online companion that goes along with the talks by Fr. Dave Pivonka are as follows:

• On a laptop or desktop visit www.thevigilproject.com/ignite
• Under the banner “What type of bundle did you receive?” click on the “Physical CD” bundle type.
• Read the instructions on the main page and click ‘Redeem Download Code’. The digital access code can be found on the actual CD you received (i.e. not the cardboard case).
• Enjoy the digital download and online companion book!
• Once it is downloaded feel free to put it on your mobile device.

Fr. John Mark on Praying this Advent

Please check out this recent bulletin article by Fr. John Mark Solitario, OP on how to pray within the beauty of the Advent season.

L’alto Advent Calendar

Since September, the High School Youth Ministry has been on a journey to acclimate to a “spiritual basecamp.” This spiritual basecamp consists of four commitments: (1) Praying 20 minutes daily with Scripture; (2) Monthly Confession; (3) Fasting on Fridays; (4) and giving time in service of others daily. While maintaining the “basecamp” commitments, our high schoolers will embark on a special Advent journey, and we thought parishioners of all ages might also benefit from the trek. Below is the full Advent calendar. Each day consists of a Scripture passage (to help guide daily prayer) and a unique Advent challenge.