O Emmanuel - "O" Antiphons

O Emmanuel, you are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Savior. O come and save us, Lord, our God.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 - Poster

Advent Retreat handouts on the "O" Antiphons (PDF document)
Advent Antiphons Meditations
The Magnificent “O” Antiphons by Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer

O King of the nations - "O" Antiphons

O King whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and save man whom you made from clay.

"For a child has been born for us, a son given us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 - Poster
"He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Isaiah 2:4 - Poster

Cristo Redentor, statue on Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro
O Antiphon Christmas Tree Ornaments

O Rising Sun - "O" Antiphons

O Rising Sun, you are the splendor of eternal light and the sun of justice. O come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined." Isaiah 9:2 - Poster
 Praying with the "O" Antiphons
O Antiphons Overview (Word document)
Catholic Culture : Liturgical Year : O Antiphon House (Activity)

Free Christian Music in MP3 Format

CatholicPlanet.com provides access to free Christian music in MP3 format. Follow the links to download sound files of songs by each of the over 50 Catholic artists listed on this page.

O key of David - "O" Antiphons

O key of David and scepter of Israel, what you open no one else can close again; what you close no one can open. O come to lead the captive from prison; free those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

    "I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open." Isaiah 22:22

   "His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore." Isaiah 9:7

    "...To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." Isaiah 42:7.

King David - Wikimedia Commons
The Great O Antiphons of Advent | History and Meaning 

O stock of Jesse - "O" Antiphons

O stock of Jesse, you stand as a signal for the nations; kings fall silent before you whom the peoples acclaim. O come to deliver us, and do not delay.

"A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Isaiah 11:1
"On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious." Isaiah 11:10

Tree of Jesse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Advent Jesse Tree - Resources for Catholic Educators

O Adonai - "O" Antiphons

O Adonai and leader of Israel, you appeared to Moses in a burning bush and you gave him the Law on Sinai. O come and save us with your mighty power.

"[...] but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins." Isaiah 11:4-5

"For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king; he will save us." Isaiah 33:22

Painting by Domenico Fetti: Moses before the burning bush
See also:  Saunders, Fr. William, What are the O Antiphons?

"o" antiphon - o adonai

Gotta Sing Gotta Pray

Gotta Sing Gotta Pray is the blog of Jerry Galipeau, D. Min., the associate publisher of World Library Publications, one of the leading publishers of music and prayer resources for the Catholic Church. Jerry shares reflections on current events in the Church and in the world that may be of particular interest to those serving the Church.

O Wisdom - "O" Antiphons

O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High. You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner. O come to teach us the way of truth.

"The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:2-3 - Poster
"[...] he is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom." Isaiah 28:29

O antiphon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 
O Antiphons - Fish Eaters: Contains MP3 sound files of the O Antiphons
O Antiphons by Darren Henson, stl - Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications
‘O Antiphons’ address Christ with scriptural titles by Christine Young, Intermountain Catholic

Gregorian Chant: O Sapientia, Abteikirche Niederaltaich, Ger

Spiritual Popcorn

The Spiritual Popcorn blog offers an online discussion on the intersection of faith and film in popular culture today.

Blogger Paul Jarzembowski is the Director of Young Adult Ministry for the Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois. He is also the Acting Executive Director of the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association (NCYAMA). He is currently a grad student in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago, and in the meantime writes as a "movie theologian", exploring the connections between pop culture and faith.

The Catholic Laboratory

The Catholic Laboratory is a web site and podcast about the Catholic Faith & Science.

"Over 200 religious and lay Catholics have made significant and notable contributions to our understanding of the natural world and our universe through research into astronomy, chemistry, physics, atomic theory, geology, meteorology, seismology, cosmology … the list goes on...
The Catholic Laboratory website and podcast is dedicated to the numerous Catholic scientists who have opened our minds to new scientific discoveries revealing the beauty and power of God in His creation, and to today’s scientists who continue to put their Catholic faith into practice sometimes at great cost to their careers."

EnVisionChurch : Art, Architecture, Liturgy, and Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition

The mission of the Georgetown  Center is to work for a transformed church through a renewed liturgy by providing resources and programs to the church at the parish, diocesan, regional and national levels.

EnVisionChurch is an online resource concerned with liturgy, spirituality, sacred art, and architecture. In keeping with the mission of the Center, EnVisionChurch is committed to fostering the renewal envisioned by the Second Vatican Council and rooted in the richness of the liturgical tradition.

All who are interested in the development of ecclesiastical art, design and architecture are invited to join the online community of EnVisionChurch.

Advent Resources at MyCatholicVoice

The MyCatholicVoice Web site offers selection of stories, prayers and homilies in preparation for Advent and Christmas. You can also listen to Advent and Christmas music in their Media section.

Activities Using Vatican City Stamps

Arago: People, Postage & the Post - "The Postal Museum's Vatican City stamp collection provides a set of resources for the classroom....The Featured Collection is divided into three categories rich with potential: Saints, Biblical Stories, and Papal History.Each part provides examples and suggested strategies that will integrate other subjects."

The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club

The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club is a most comprehensive resource on Pope Benedict. It offers a biography, links to presentations, addresses, articles, essays, prefaces, letters, transcripts of interviews, excertps from published works by Cardinal Ratzinger. Also included is an extensive listing of links to writings by and on Pope Benedict XVI, a forum to share with other "fans", special features on the Pope's  trips to Israel and to America. This is quite an impressive compilation of resources!

The Christmas Story

The Christmas Story Website offers several resources that will be appealing to elementary age children: a coloring book with five high quality coloring pages to color online or to download, the Christmas story in comic book format, and seasonal wallpapers for your computer in various format...

Primary School Advent Resources

The website for the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin offers a selection of Primary School Advent Resources including prayers, activities, and crafts for each week of Advent, as well as activity sheets and a Christmas Carol Service.

Saint Theresa's Prayer - Song

The song based on Saint Theresa's prayer is sung by John Michael Talbot.



Listen to other songs by John MichaelTalbot.

Blog for Catholic Digest

Catholic Digest's group blog, Voices of Catholic Digest, will launch in January 2010. They are currently looking for bloggers to post one to three posts per month (300-800 words per post).

Liturgy, Church Year, and Prayer

Liturgy, Church Year, and Prayer: ChurchYear.Net - This Web site offers various resources related to the liturgical year. for example, here is a sampling of items listed for Advent and Christmas:

Advent

All About Advent
Advent Prayers and Collects
Advent Hymns and Canticles
Advent Wreath Prayers and Scripture Readings
We're All Waiting for Something: Advent Reflections David Bennett
Tis (Not Quite) the Season...But There's Still Plenty to Celebrate David Morrison
All About the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception Prayers

Christmas and Christmastide

All About Christmas and Christmastide
Christmas Prayers and Collects
The Troparion, Kontakion, and Canon of the Nativity
Eastern Hymns for the Pre-Feast of the Nativity
Choosing the Date of Christmas: Why December 25? David Bennett
The 12 Days of Christmas and Christmastide... Jonathan Bennett

Catholic Faith Education Newsletter - December 7, 2009

The December 7, 2009 edition of the Catholic Faith Education Newsletter is now available at
http://www.silk.net/RelEd/ezine1.htm

Please note that the next edition of the newsletter will be published on January 11, 2010.

Saint Nicholas Resources

Today is the feast day of Saint Nicholas. Here are are a few resources on the "real" Santa:

• Saint Nicholas ::: Discovering the Truth About Santa Claus 
• Sinterklaas 
• About Saint Nicholas: Prayers and Customs of Advent and Christmas
• Saint Nicholas of Myra - Resources for Catholic Educators
• Saint Nicholas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• St Nicholas, Confessor, Archbishop of Myra—A.D. 342
  

USCCB Advent and Christmas 2009

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has numerous resources for Advent and Christmas on its Website:  Advent and Christmas Seasons.

These resources include an interactive advent calendar, blessings and prayers, lessons and carols.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent - C

Resources on the Mass readings for the FourthSunday of Advent - December 20, 2009:

Mass Readings
Fr. Lonsdale's Commentaries and Clip Art
Lectionary Resource for Catholics: word-sunday.com
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Bible Study
Reflexions on This Week's Liturgy - Sadlier
Gospel of Luke 1.39-45 - Articles, Commentaries, Homilies, Clipart, Coloring pages, Puzzles, Children's Stories
Lector Works: Fourth Sunday of Advent - C
Lector's Notes: Fourth Sunday of Advent - C
CNP Liturgical Planning - The Fourth Sunday of Advent (C) - Music Suggestions

Third Sunday of Advent - C

Resources on the Mass readings for the Third Sunday of Advent - December 13, 2009:

Mass Readings
Fr. Lonsdale's Commentaries and Clip Art
Lectionary Resource for Catholics: word-sunday.com
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Bible Study
Reflexions on This Week's Liturgy - Sadlier
Gospel of Luke 3.10-18 - Articles, Commentaries, Homilies, Clipart, Coloring pages, Puzzles, Children's Stories
Lector Works: Third Sunday of Advent - C
Lector's Notes: Third Sunday of Advent - C
CNP Liturgical Planning - The Third Sunday of Advent (C) - Music Suggestions

Christmas Music sung by Anonymous 4

This is not the usual type of Christmas music blaring at us in shopping malls at this time of the year. It is Celtic Christmas music form the Medieval period. Enjoy!

Listen to more music by Anonymous 4.

Advent Family Activities

The Web site of the Diocese of Ogdensburg provides a series of Advent Family Activities.

The Knots Prayer

Father Austin Flemming, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, pastor in Concord since 1994 maintains a blog called 'A Concord Pastor Comments'. One of his recent post is The Knots Prayer, a prayer that conveys much meaning in a few words and that I can see being used with teens and adults in an educational setting. The prayer is by Anonymous - I never cease to be amazed at how prolific a writer this person is!

Bible Images

www.eborg2.com contains a collection of thousands of images on biblical themes from Bible cards and books, some of which are in the public domain.

Redemptorist Advent Calendar

The Web site of the Redemptorist of Autralia and New Zealand features an Advent Calendar with a daily "Thought" , Scripture passage, Prayers, and poetry extract.

Church History in 4 minutes

Church history buffs should enjoy this video: