As Christmas quickly approaches this week, we have experienced the wonderful and chaotic whirlwind of the Advent season here at Newman University Church. I have sometimes found it difficult to find my moments of peace and prayer due to the vast amount of preparation and work done during the past four weeks. From an outsider’s perspective, they may not take into account how busy the church becomes during this season, but I think we’ve done an excellent job making our space joyful, peace-filled, and celebratory!
One of the main highlights for me during Advent was our concert “A Light Shines in Bethlehem”, when the Newman Vocare Ensemble sang stunning pieces that we had put immense work into such as “My Lord Has Come” (my personal favorite), “Lux Aurumque”, and a beautiful Irish song titled “Suantrái ár Slánaitheora”, which is the first time I learned how to pronounce Irish. The choir prepared for weeks to perfect these pieces, and although it brought the occasional wave of stress, the end result was perfect. There was a large attendance, everyone loved the service, and our nearly 400 minced pies and mulled wine for an after-concert treat were a hit! During our concert, I genuinely felt such joy and pride to be part of this wonderful community during the Advent season.
Another very special moment this holiday season was having the ability to travel to Switzerland for two days with Sarah! Since the beginning of this experience, the two of us have wanted to experience the magic of Christmas markets in Europe. Although there were many locations on our list to possibly visit, we decided that Zurich was the dream. We were able to see some incredible locations and walk around the center of the city, as well as the outer parts of Zurich. It was an incredible experience, and we’re hoping to return to another part of Switzerland called Grindelwald.
The first morning after we arrived in Zurich!
Our House of Brigid clan has also partaken in Christmas festivities together. At the end of November, we beautifully decorated our home for the season! We now have a wreath on our front door, a tree in the living room, and garland all the way up our staircase. It brings a great deal of light and joy to our home and has certainly created more excitement for this time of the year. This past weekend, we went to a Christmas market in Dublin called Twinkletown. There were rides such as a carousel and ferris wheel, an ice rink, and lots of delicious treats! It was so fun to do this activity all together and have a break from our busy work schedules. Although the four of us in House of Brigid have each had our moments of missing home, we’ve continued to show up for one another to make the holiday season a special one.
