Denver Catholic

7 DENVER CATHOLIC | DECEMBER 23, 2017-JANUARY 26, 2018 He and his wife, Sarah, focus especially on prayer, order (following the liturgical season) and story (by encouraging read- ing or passing down family stories, etc.). "It's not a monastery, but we try to grab the beginning, middle and end of the day," O'Connor said. "We do morn- ing prayer, the Angelus at noon and the rosary is the goal [in the evening], but we do at least a decade after dinner." He said they also teach their children how to pray from their heart at bedtime, by prompting them with, "Thank you for…, I'm sorry for…, help me to…, and a special prayer for…." Their family has also incorporated plenty of ways to follow the liturgical season and celebrate the Advent season. "We have a tendency to go right to Christmas, so we try to avoid that," O'Connor said. "We do a Jesse tree, which takes you through salvation history, with a Bible verse and ornament for each day. "We've built a collection of Advent and Christmas books and they only come out [this time of year]," he added. "My wife wraps a book for each day in either purple or pink and numbers them to show the buildup [to Christmas]." Instead of decorating for Christmas all at once, their family slowly puts up ornaments and calls it an "Advent tree." "We make it clear that Christmas is a season," he said. "We will be formed by culture, you can't void out of it, so you have to be intentional in forming one. It's either be swallowed up by it or intention- ally form a proper, good culture." TRUE CELEBRATION, A CRUCIAL PART OF CULTURE While the O'Connor family puts o‹ celebrating Christmas until the Advent season is over, they also fully enter into the celebration of other feasts during the season, like St. Nicholas' on Dec. 6, with other families around the Denver area who share their commitment to create a culture of faith for their children. Following tradition, they put choco- late coins and oranges in their children's shoes — and then fi nish the day with a party with friends to celebrate the feast. Another family that celebrates a feast during the Advent season with gusto is Father Doug and Lynn Grandon, who always celebrate the feast of St. Lucy on Dec. 13, even as evangelical Protestants before their conversion to Catholicism. "For Scandinavians, she's the only saint even Protestants honor," Lynn said. "[There] was this reverence and beauty about it, and I thought it was so holy and beautiful even as a child, not even realizing there were other saints." Andrew and Rebecca Barga, parish- ioners at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Thornton, celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Concep- tion on Dec. 8 by throwing a big party and inviting other families to come. Like the O'Connor family, they also create a faith culture in their family this time of year by celebrating Advent more intentionally with traditions like the Jesse tree and Advent wreath. And this year, they're celebrating 12 days of Christ- mas with various activities every day. "We also go downtown and bring a crew of people with us and go hand out bagels and co‹ ee and other donated goods to hand out to the homeless, and the kids physically give to them, which they love," Rebecca said. Both Andrew and Rebecca stressed that intentionally creating a culture of faith in their family is something that's di¯ cult to do without a solid community around them — but so worth the way of living they pass on to their children. "You can't do this in isolation and do it well, and it's good for us as parents to have this support structure," Andrew said. "Without that active prayer life and community, it's an overwhelming amount of work, but with God's grace, the little contribution becomes a big contribution," he added. Dr. Barbara Jenkins, AuD, BCABA Colorado's First Board Certifi ed Doctor of Audiology Diocese Parishioner We take your Hearing Seriously. www.AdvancedAudiology.com 303.309.0714 Centennial, Colorado 80112 • 85% of our patients come from physician and patient referrals • A+ Rated and BBB Gold Star Company • 2015 Most Humanitarian Practice • Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics and Integrity 2015 Advanced Audiology, Inc. Hearing & Tinnitus Center Your Physician's Choice for Hearing and Tinnitus Care Your Physician's Choice for Hearing and Tinnitus Care Disclosure *APR (Annual Percentage Rate). The Annual Percentage Rate is the advertised rate. Borrowers credit score must be 680 and above to receive the 2.89% interest rate. 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