Blessed Sacrament Christmas Program / A Celebration of Giving
Friday, 19 December 2008
Wednesday evening, the Church of the Blessed Sacrament filled with parents, and grandparents; and jostling siblings, some younger and some older than the performers they stretched to see. They each gathered to receive a gift, and were not to be disappointed. Greg Krupthaupt, Principal of Blessed Sacrament School opened the evening—“...it would not be Christmas without the gift of children singing.” Father Ken gave a prayer of thanks for the gifts we have, and a reminder to remember those in need, As Jesus did. And the music began.
The school band played two songs of unique beauty, not because every note was perfect, and not because the woodwinds’ squeaks were intended. The music was perfect because the children playing the instruments were, for a few minutes earnest musicians sharing their precious gifts, with all who would listen. As Jesus did.
The smallest voices became a choir as the youngest students in the Pre-K programs sang of the baby Jesus, and the gifts of the wise men--with a purity of spirit every parent hopes never to see disturbed. The Kindergartners sang “God’s Winter Love” and joined the first-grade for “”Mary and the Baby, Sweet Lamb!” The second and third grades sang songs in German and in Spanish. The evening ended with the fourth and fifth grades combining their voices into one voice for a passionate rendering of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus. “Ha-a-a-la-a-ay-lo-o-o-y-a-ah!”
The music ended, and everyone left the church that evening with many more gifts than they had expected to receive; their hearts filled by so many traditional Christmas songs and the true joy of the season—the performers of the Blessed Sacrament School most of all. It was an evening of happiness that spread out from the Church of the Blessed Sacrament and filled the air with hope.
As Jesus did.
Last Updated ( Friday, 19 December 2008 )
Saint Nicholas' Shoes
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Blessed Sacrament students placed their shoes outside their classroom doors in rows and returned to find them filled with candy and fruit.
"Our students are taught to adopt a spirit of giving always, and at Christmas we celebrate Saint Nicholas as an example of unconditional giving." said Greg Krupthaupt, Blessed Sacrament Principal, "Besides—it’s fun."
Saint Nicholas was a real-life Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, a part of what is now modern Turkey until approximately 350 A.D. He dedicated his life to the church and was known for his generosity. His emblematic spirit of giving is best represented by the legend of Saint Nicholas tossing three bags of gold through a window into the shoes of three poverty-stricken girls whose father could not afford the dowry required for their marriage. His generosity allowed them to be married and avoid a life of misery.
The Dutch began celebrating the Saint Nicholas story by placing children’s wooden shoes outside their doors, and filling them with candy and the tradition continues at Blessed Sacrament. They shortened his name to Santa Claus.
Saint Nicholas, the giving, real-life Bishop of Myra—his example left us some big shoes to fill.
Last Updated ( Friday, 19 December 2008 )
Kindergarten / Learning Everything They Need to Know
Friday, 19 December 2008
It’s probably not part of every parent’s personal program to ponder the placement of every letter ‘P’. The kindergartners in Mrs. Brunner’s class, however, are particularly proud to put every ‘P’ and every ‘Q’ and every other letter in its proper place. It’s all new to them. Their goal is to learn how every letter in the alphabet sounds, looks, and feels—in words, sentences and rhymes. They are connecting their five senses to the abstract forms we call our alphabet in preparation for a lifetime of learning—one letter at a time. This week it’s the letter ‘P’.
In Science, the subject is weather patterns—learning to see and sense how their environment moves around them. And in math, they are learning to sense patterns in numbers, things like occurrences of 7’s, 8’s and 9’s.
If it sounds like a lot, it has to be—if they are to learn everything they need to know in Kindergarten.
Bonnie Blach Memorial Fund A long time Blessed Sacrament parishoner, Bonnie Blach, passed away recently. The Bonnie Blach Memorial Fund has been established for the benefit of Blessed Sacrament School. To contribute to the fund please contact the parish office at 303-355-7361. To view Bonnie's biography, click here.
