Advent by Candlelight: Where Hope Takes Root

“I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, 4 praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, 5 because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” -Philippians1: 3-6.
 
 On December 3rd, close to two hundred and twenty women joyfully gathered at Greenwich Catholic School in CT for Advent by Candlelight. They embraced the silence and darkness to ponder God’s unfailing promises, and prepare their hearts for Christ coming once again at Christmas.
 
Here are that evening’s opening remarks by Lisa Rooney, Women’s Section Director, NY-Tristate.
 

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Good evening Gentle Women, and to you Gentle Men- our beloved priests honoring  us with their presence this evening. As we just had some fun discovering, this is a first Advent By Candlelight for some of you and quite  possibly the fifteenth one for others. A number of you have walked the hallowed halls of  Greenwich Catholic School for years while others are stepping onto the campus for the first time. 

But it is this present moment we have prepared for you and are calling you to right now. Advent by Candlelight 2025, during this Jubilee Advent in the Year of Hope, is unique from those of the past and unknowable until, with the grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we experience it together over the next few hours.  

To our dear invited guests, while you are settling into your seats, chatting with old friends or making new acquaintances, we invite you to relish the generous hospitality of your table hostesses; and  table hostesses, please allow yourselves a few seconds to feel the joy that comes from true Christian service, done out of love. Hopefully our Advent by Candlelight team made you feel loved and well-accompanied. 

As this evening unfolds, it is our hope that each of you feels a space created here just for you, a space that is small, a comfortable and embracing space.  Within it, we hope you experience the excitement of anticipating something about to happen for the first time AND the welcome and peace of an event that is familiar while  still full of wonder and awe. 

Pope Francis wrote  a beautiful book entitled  Christmas at the Nativity.  In it he describes becoming emotional upon seeing the grotto in Greccio, Italy where St Francis of Assisi re-enacted the first nativity scene in 1223. He says that his excitement came from the “knowledge of our Christian mystery that loves to hide within what is small.”

How often have we heard that littleness, such as becoming like little children, is the way to encounter God. Pope Francis points out that for us humans “it is a gift to find greatness in the smallness that God so loves”-such as a tiny baby in a meager manger. Isn’t this the very promise of Advent? 

Every year Advent leads us to smallness- an unassuming, humble village called Bethlehem, a cave crammed with livestock,  the tiny specks of lowly shepherds on the hillside. And yet Advent fills us up with tremendous Hope as God fulfills his promise of a Savior. And as we heard and will always hear, “Hope does not disappoint.” Romans 5:5.

Soon here tonight we will ease into quiet and candlelight. just a few short hours ago, or perhaps for some of you even just minutes ago, weren’t we rushing around, following the frenetic pace the world demands, wondering how we would finish all we had to do before we could make it here?  Perhaps we were worrying about how a weeknight out would exhaust us  for the fast-approaching morning of tomorrow.  

This is how I often came running to Advent by Candlelight AND running into Advent  itself, barely coming to a screeching halt as the lights went dim on this auditorium or as I lit the rose candle on my Advent wreath at the start of week three.. On more than one occasion, I sat here and even asked the Lord, “Why am I here? Am I even supposed to be here?”  Yet here I am-again. I keep coming back. And now here you are.  Just last night I heard a young seminarian say, the answer to our “world”, is an invitation. Isn’t this the lesson of Advent? Advent IS the invitation. 

In her infinite wisdom, Our Mother the Church, gives us this time, this all too short season, every year, over and over again. It is a brilliant way to fill us with Hope! The Liturgy of Advent, with its prayers, responsorial antiphons, and songs (some of which you will hear tonight), this season’s  call to pray, fast, serve, give alms, the traditional symbols of candlelight and evergreens, and this very evening of Advent by Candlelight, help open the eyes of our hearts, soften our souls and engage our minds, to prepare our whole beings for our Savior’s birth at Christmas AND for His glorious second coming at the end of time.  

So why are we here? We are here to celebrate the Hope our Faith gifts us.  Hope takes away fear; it dispels darkness, despair, and discouragement; it makes possible our complete trust in God by our not relying solely on our own strength but the help and grace of the Holy Spirit. As we come to the close of this Jubilee Year of Hope we must take care to not let the closing of the Holy Doors on the Feast of the Epiphany close the door of our hearts to Hope in God’s many promises, revealed to us in Scripture.

It is our greatest desire and Hope that some of you gathered here tonight will take the smallness of this evening, in our little bit of heaven on earth here in Connecticut and be inspired to serve in this ministry of Advent by Candlelight. This could be your light for Christ in this world. You just need to take it out from under the bushel basket and let it lead you. Be Not Afraid to take this on. We will help you. Come see! 

And I hope next year, when the invitation for Advent by Candlelight comes, you will join me once again in responding “yes”, AND adding with the certainty and conviction of a Hope-filled Christian: “Lord, to whom else shall we (I) go?”

I now ask you to light your candles as it is time to turn out the lights. Enjoy your dinner. Very shortly you will hear the beautiful notes of a piano. That is the call to quiet our voices for the musical and reflective part of our program. Let us make sure to hear every note and word God wants to send us tonight!

     
The evening that followed was a true collaboration between Greenwich Catholic School, , St. Michael the Archangel Parish, which shares the campus, and our NY/CT Regnum Christi Women’s Section.  It was born of partnerships and friendships from each of these entities, fostered over the past several years. Each is listed on the program as a co-sponsor of the event.
 
     Ms. Rebecca Steck, Head of School of GCS,  sees the intrinsic beauty and value of Advent by Candlelight, especially in its alignment with the school’s mission and as a reflection of its Catholic identity. Her affirmation comes in the generous offer of the auditorium for the event each year. This comes with the availability of the entire facilities crew, which does all  the heavy lifting  of preparing and decorating the space and overseeing all operational systems that evening. Ms. Steck enthusiastically promotes ABC in the months preceding it and hosts her own tables for her faculty and staff. Her words of welcome were warm and sincere.  Her example not only encouraged many new young moms to attend this year, but to sign up as table hostesses and serve on some of the planning committees. By evening’s end, there were several GCS women interested in making sure  the event would take place next year and for many years to come.
 
Fr. Paul Holland, S.J., Pastor of St Michael’s, recognizes Advent by Candlelight as a valuable ministry within his parish. This is a tremendous encouragement for the many women of the parish who, for years now, have contributed their time, talent and treasure to bring Advent by Candlelight to their fellow parishioners and the larger faith community.  So many women who are involved as leaders in other liturgical and social ministries eagerly sign up as table hostesses! The Parish has also become the heart and center of operations: in getting the word out, creating and monitoring the detailed registration process, and even providing an Advent Giving Tree for Christmas gifts for  the needy of the surrounding  area. Fr. Paul composed a magnificent blessing for the evening that captured the reason for the season and  led us in saying grace  before the meal. He also graciously lent his musical director, David Harris,  to accompany us in song and chant,  which added to the special ambience of the night.
 
In this first week of Advent, three other  Catholic churches in our area joined in ushering in the season with Advent by Candlelight celebrations. All were facilitated by women of Regnum Christi, NY-Tristate who have been keeping the tradition going for years. Many Regnum Christi sisters join each other in attendance.
 
 
Fr.  Francis Sunderland, current Chaplain  for our RC women was present at several of the events and spoke words of wisdom and inspiration. Fr Eric Nielsen. was also present and connected with many of the women he has known for years.
Luly Fernandez, Consecrated  of Regnum Christi and our keynote speaker, gave a profound reflection and personal testimony, which touched the heart of every woman in the room. Mary Smith, CRC also travelled from her community in Washington DC to lead and guide us in an Advent activity
 
This coming together of many parts of one body, all in God’s perfect time, is bearing fruits we have only begun to taste and appreciate. Impelled by His love, may way persevere in this  beautiful apostolate of Advent by Candlelight, by which we will lead others to Christ not only during Advent but throughout the year.
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