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All About Saint Joseph
By: Declan Caffrey
As we enjoy the nativity in Christmas cards and manger scenes, we are reminded that Saint Joseph plays a very important role in the Christmas story.
Would you like to know more about Saint Joseph? Well, you're in the right place. God chose Saint Joseph to be the foster father of Jesus and protector of the Universal Church. He lived in the first century and lived in Nazareth. The angel Gabrielle was sent to remind Joseph that taking Mary as his wife was okay. St. Joseph’s feast day is March 19th. St. Joseph is exemplified as being a strong in virtues, such as faith, hope, charity, courage, and obedience. He obeyed God his whole life.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the year and location of St. Joseph’s birth is 90 BC, in Bethlehem. The year and place of his death is around AD 18, in Nazareth. We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph, the Husband of Mary, and May 1 for Joseph the Worker. Saint Joseph was faithful, righteous, silent, chaste, obedient, and devoted to our Blessed Virgin Mary. His devotion to Mary was absolutely grand. St. Josemaria Escriva, wrote this about St. Joseph:
“The whole Church recognizes St Joseph as a patron and guardian. For centuries many different features of his life have caught the attention of believers. He was a man ever faithful to the mission God gave him. That is why, for many years now, I have liked to address him affectionately as “our father and lord.”
St Joseph really is a father and lord. He protects those who revere him and accompanies them on their journey through this life — just as he protected and accompanied Jesus when he was growing up. As you get to know him, you discover that the holy patriarch is also a master of the interior life — for he teaches us to know Jesus and share our life with him, and to realize that we are part of God’s family. St Joseph can teach us these lessons, because he is an ordinary man, a family man, a worker who earned his living by manual labour — all of which has great significance and is a source of happiness for us.”
St Joseph was canonized in 1870 by Pope Pius IX. He became a saint because he cooperated with God's grace and he acted as a foster father to Jesus. Mathew’s Gospel lists his royal inheritance to King David; and as foster father of Jesus, Prince of Peace, and to Mary, Queen of all Saints, he was like a king in the Holy Family.
Because Joseph was a foster father to Jesus, he is also the patron saint of all fathers, foster fathers, and to the many children separated from families and parents who need foster parents.
The Bible tells us that St. Joseph was a carpenter, as was Jesus. St. Joseph is the patron saint of all workers. His special feast day on May 1st is called “St. Joseph the Worker” day. St. Frances de Sales wrote about him:
“Truly, I doubt not that the angels, wondering and adoring, came thronging in countless multitudes to that poor workshop to admire the humility of him who guarded that dear and divine child, and labored at his carpenter’s trade to support the son and the mother who were committed to his care.”
St. Joseph kept his family safe in Bethlehem which showed his love and support to his family. I would like to be more like him and show support to my family and friends during Christmas and all times of the year.
The Immaculate Conception Of Mary
By: Simon Estifanos
This is an article on the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that is like a wall (that God created) for the Virgin Mary to be protected from original sin from the moment she was born. The Immaculate Conception is traced to the earliest Christianity; however, the dogma was proclaimed in the 1800s. This event happens every December 8th in honor of the Virgin Mary. One day on December 8th, Pope Francis traveled to Piazza di Spagna (in English: Spanish Square), and performed the Act of Veneration to the Blessed Virgin Mary before the statue of the Immaculate Conception. Lowering a rose wreath before the 39-foot statue, he finally said a prayer for the gift of peace in the world. But Pope Francis wasn’t done! The pope thanked the Virgin for her “constant discreet presence.” He then entrusted Mary to the people of Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel. The pope also prayed for the mothers who are suffering from illness, but still have to watch their children suffer from addictions, go on long journeys that are for their well being and terrorism. He even prayed for mothers suffering gender violence! He pleaded with the Blessed Virgin to show the ‘way of conversion’ because he said, “There is no peace without forgiveness and there is no forgiveness without repentance.”.
"Your person, the very fact that you exist, reminds us that evil has neither the first nor the last word; that our destiny is not death but life, not hatred but brotherhood, not conflict but harmony, not war but peace." - Pope Francis
16th Century Roses in December
By: Simon Estifanos
The feast of Our Lady Of Guadalupe is derived from the Blessed Virgin’s appearance in Aztec land, which is now Mexico. When she arrived, she was dressed as an Aztec god because, at that time, people in the Aztec land would sacrifice each other to their god of the dead (Mictlantecuhtli). A Spanish man named Saint Juan Diego was also in Mexico, and he tried to spread Christianity all the time, but he saw Mary, and she instructed him to build a church. She also used her power to imprint an image of herself on a Tilma he was holding. He later built the church and it is still standing, and the Tilma never disintegrated due to the power of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Now time for Pope Francis’ interview on Vatican News! Pope Francis said, “It is the image of the first disciple, of all the mother of all believers, of the Church herself, which is imprinted in the humility of what we are and what we have, which is not worth much, but which will be something great in the eyes of God.” Pope Francis continued to reflect on virtues… “These virtues, fill our poverty in the simplicity of small gestures of love.” He said, “They illuminate our Tilma, without our realizing it, with the image of a Church that carries Christ in her bosom.”. He concluded by saying, “The image on the Tilma is a message that protects us from so many social and political ideologies.”
How Santa Came to Be
By: Debi Teferi
Have you ever wondered how Santa came to be? I have, and I am about to tell you all about him! There are many accounts and resources on the history of Santa, but the resource I have chosen is Britannica Kids.
Santa is based on St. Nicholas, who was a real person, a Catholic bishop who became a saint, and lived during the 4th century in Lycia (present day Turkey).
People loved him because of his generosity. In some European countries, kids get gifts on his December 6th feast day. In the stories about him, Santa lives with Mrs. Claus in the North Pole.
Every year on Christmas Eve, he travels all over the world and delivers presents to all the children of the world. Children often leave him some cookies, milk, and carrots for his reindeer.
Santa's nine reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blizten, and last but not least, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. There is a song, book, and movie about Rudolph.
Elves became part of the stories about Santa in about the 19th century. Tradition holds that these hard workers help Santa make toys that are given to the children on Christmas.
I hope you have learned more about Santa and his history. Merry Christmas!
5 Greatest Christmas places to visit
By: Andreas Pilippakis
There are many fabulous ways to celebrate what is (in my opinion) the best holiday - Christmas! One great way to feel that it is ‘almost Christmas’ is by going to places that celebrate the holiday spirit!
1. Bradley Estate, Winter Lights, Canton, MA
Bradley Estate is a very old nonprofit country house and garden ground museum in Canton, MA. It is right next to what used to be a sanctuary in the 1800s. But when it gets to be the Christmas season, they make a light walk called Winter Lights.
It is a very pretty walk through many lights, and they have made all the reindeer (including Rudolph) out of wood, so while you walk in, they set you with a checklist of all the reindeer to hole punch. In the middle of the journey, a big house has a wishing tree inside. You write what you wish and put it on the tree. There is always a guy playing the piano.
2. Elm Bank, Christmas Festival, Wellesley, MA
Elm bank is a wonderful place to hike. It is very pretty and has a lot of wildlife. It is owned by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. In December a guy makes a train set that is HUMONGOUS! And every year, the people of Wellesley decorate trees, and all the people that go to Elm Bank’s Christmas festival put raffle tickets on their favorite tree. Whoever puts the most tickets on each tree, wins that tree. After that, they give you s'mores by the fireplace.
3. Strawbery Banke, Candlelight Stroll
Strawbery Banke is an outdoor historical museum located in South End Portsmouth, NH. It has many year-round activities for everyone to try. Around Christmas, they do something called a Candlelight Stroll. You better hurry up, because they have less than 100 tickets left. They have hot apple cider, skaters, a tour through 1800s houses of how they celebrated Christmas back then, and they have actors acting out old Christmas traditions. It is a fantastic walk, especially with friends and family!
4. Vaillancourt, Christkindlesmarkt & Artisan Show, Sutton, MA
Vaillancourt was a chalkware in the 1900s, but now it is recognized as fine art. During the 19th century, it was a sculpted gypsum painted effortlessly with watercolors. They open a Christmas market for two days out of the year with food and wonderful Christmas ornaments called the Christkindlesmarkt & Artisan Show. It is really pretty and has a nice location. It also has players playing German Christmas music. They have really great food, too! They have many beautifully decorated pine trees, glass trees, and chalkware to look at.
5. Nashoba Valley Tubing, Littleton, MA
Nashoba Valley Tubing is in Littleton, MA. It is a very amazing tubing place. You don’t have to be an expert to go there. It is really fun! The lines aren't really long. There are also many tracks- each of them is really fun!
My conclusion is that sometimes waiting for Christmas to come can sometimes be better than Christmas itself. These places are really awesome! They offer one of those “almost- as great as Christmas” moments.
Country Highlight: The Netherlands
Guillem G. March, News Editor
The Netherlands is a country on the coast of Europe which borders Belgium & Germany.
The national language of the Netherlands is Dutch and their population is just over 17.50 million.
The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, which is famous for its landscapes of canals, tulip fields, windmills, cycling routes, and about 1200 bridges.
The Netherlands' national currency is the Euro; you will need them to go to the Netherlands' many museums, including the Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
New Years Eve is a big celebration in the Netherlands. Fireworks and rockets are fired to celebrate the coming of the New Year. A doughnut-like product called oliebol is traditionally made and sold by streeet vendors during the New Years celebrations.
Grade Four Plans for Christmas
By: Maddy Saint Piere
Dear Readers,
Merry Christmas! My classmates and I will be away from school for almost two weeks over the Christmas break. What will we be doing over the break? I asked some of my classmates, and here’s what they said:
“Most of the time I go to my uncle’s house and surprise my cousins with presents,” Debi said.
“Every year, I go to my grandparents house on Christmas morning for brunch and we open presents,” Olivia responded,
“This year I’m going to New Jersey to see my family that lives there,” Katie said.
“Well, my grandparents are coming for Christmas, and we’ll go out to eat!” Isla responded.
“I’m going to London to visit my family and celebrate Christmas.” Lucia replied.
“I’m going to Mexico,” Guillem said.
“I’m going to New York for a day on the 22nd, and going to Quebec on the 27th,” Andreas answered.
“I’m going to my friend’s cousin’s house for Christmas,” Simon replied.
“I’m going to New York,” Declan said.
I hope we all have a great Christmas break!
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