Advent begins on Sunday, November 27, 2022, and will end on Saturday, December 24, 2022, this year.

Hallow has put together a great app.

This app covers everything Catholic meditation. Deepen your faith and pray more from the comfort of your own home or while you’re on the go! Advent 2022 can be a remarkable year for your faith. Advent isn’t just about opening tiny chocolates, and a big countdown. It’s a preparation of your heart. Hallow has the daily readings and prayers that will help you get there. It is free to try it out, and lots of the app is free content. My family has subscribed to the extended content this past year. It was worth it. My kids (8 & 10) have requested to listen before bed to saints, prayers, and music!!! That is success in my books. Try it out.

We have reviewed this app each year, and it is amazing. A great companion to take you or your family through Advent! (they have others for the rest of the year too.)

Apps: (iTunes ($2.99) and Google Play ($3.99)

Ebooks: Amazon Kindle $2.99) Apple iBooks Kobo ($2.99)

Printed books as well. But these tend to sell out. If you were ambitious, you could order a bunch of them and provide them through your parish. Our parish supplies a number of copies of things like the Word Among Us in print form for those that want them.

Each issue of the Advent Companion is never the same as the last and contains these one-of-a-kind extras that you won’t find anywhere else:

– A variety of beautiful and practical blessings.
– An Advent Penance Service.
– Specially-commissioned poetry.
– Advent Stations.
– Praying the O Antiphons.

Advent is that sacred season of anticipation and expectation in which we come to terms with the deepest yearning of our soul—a yearning fulfilled only in Jesus Christ. As we wait in longing for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas, we turn over to him all the false satisfactions—the compromises—of our life. To live Advent is to live in the awareness of a Presence that changes us.

Our Advent preparation is marked by vigilance—custody of the heart, in which we keep our soul fixed on the Lord. For what we see incarnate in the infant Jesus we  desire for ourselves: purity, innocence, childlikeness restored. In the birth of this Child we know the promise of our own spiritual rebirth.

This rich spiritual companion will accompany you like a beloved friend through the four weeks of Advent with poignant scriptural reflections for each day of the season. You will also find a wealth of meditative prayers, essays, and poetry, an examination of conscience, and a unique feature:
the Advent Stations. If you long for the nearness of God in your life, this invaluable little booklet promises to bring you ever closer to the One who promised: I am with you always (Mt 28:20).

In Sony Pictures Animation’s The Star, a small but brave donkey named Bo yearns for a life beyond his daily grind at the village mill. One day he finds the courage to break free, and finally goes on the adventure of his dreams. On his journey, he teams up with Ruth, a lovable sheep who has lost her flock and Dave, a dove with lofty aspirations. Along with three wisecracking camels and some eccentric stable animals, Bo and his new friends follow the Star and become accidental heroes in the greatest story ever told – the first Christmas.

iTunes | Google Play | Amazon

We reviewed the Christmas tree of kindness last year (it was brand new). And this year I can recommend it again.

For many teachers and Catechists this is a great app, so if Advent(Use it for Lent too) isn’t approaching soon, bookmark it for later, and if it is … You will want to get your hands on this app. It has been reviewed on Today’s Catholic Teacher.com . I don’t like using the pandemic for a reason for anything, however, if there is ever a time that kindness would be a top priority this is it.

Introducing the Christmas Tree of Kindness Pro, a simple way to encourage all to perform acts of kindness. Enjoy all year or as a Countdown to Christmas/Advent activity!

Select a tree and theme, then decorate your tree with ornaments. All ornaments are earned by performing simple acts of kindness! You can name trees different names, so if you want to have one that is for your family, and one for your friends, you can do that too.

Here is a demo:

Z88.3 is playing all Christmas music again this season in an effort to reach those who might not ordinarily listen to their station.  They want everyone to hear the glorious news about the babe in the manger who by His sinless life and shed blood set us free of the chains of sin and death.  They realize there are some who tire of the Christmas music, and in response, they ask that you will pray for the thousands who will hear the Gospel for the first time.

They have carefully chosen the very best Christmas music on the planet that not only presents the real and glorious message of Christ’s advent, but where you can flip a radio on in every room of the house to make it a wonderful soundtrack of your Holiday all day and all night now through Christmas Night.

Why do they play all Christmas music so early
(Day after American Thanksgiving / Black Friday) ?

They thoughtfully and prayerfully decided to do this every Christmas as an evangelistic tool and you can help in the effort.  You may have experienced the reality that your friends and family are a little more open to hearing about spiritual things during the Christmas season.  Many who would never listen to Christian radio are more open to do so when they’re listening to a station playing all Christmas music. And many times they sing along, not even realizing the depth and wonder of the words they sing.

By simply telling your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances to tune-in during this season, the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts drawing them to Christ.  Also, by having the radio on in the back ground during get-togethers allows an easy opportunity to share Christ and the station. Learn More about their reason.

THIS IS A STATION that I listen to regularly and share with co-workers and friends.

Christ is definitely proclaimed on this station, and you an listen to them live, through the app, or through your play device.

“Hey Google, play z88.3” or “Hey Google, play z88.3 on TuneIn.

TuneIn | Listen on their website

Whether you are just learning or have been praying the Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Chaplet of St Michael for as many years as your teeth are old, we hope and pray you will find this App useful and beneficial for your spiritual life.

Additionally, we have found it an extremely helpful method of teaching these prayers to others.

If you have elderly parents or grandparents or visit the elderly in Nursing Homes or Assisted Living Facilities, consider praying this App with them while meditating on each of the scriptural references included, and their images. 

We were surprised how quickly and easily it was in teaching a child to pray the Rosary or Chaplets for the first time using this beautifully designed App!

Making 2021 the Best Year of Your Life Starts with Advent!

This is  a totally free and totally awesome daily video program (sent straight to your email) that will help you prepare for Christmas like never before!

I have been through a couple of Matthew Kelly’s other daily video series, and they were tremendous. They aren’t long, but they are filled with words of direction. I also found them not to be overwhelming. By the end of the series it was unmistakable that I had made changes in my spiritual life, in my relationship with Jesus, but those changes were slow, that it didn’t seem overwhelming or jarring. It is free, and you receive an email each day with a link to the daily message. I suggest you try it out.

Dynamic Catholic isn’t just a website. It’s a community, a movement, a group of people much like yourself who are trying to make sense of life and live the best life they can.

Matthew Kelly has dedicated his life to helping people and organizations become the-best-version-of-themselves. Born in Sydney, Australia, he began speaking and writing in his late teens while he was attending business school. Since that time, 4 million people have attended his seminars and presentations in more than 50 countries.

Today, Kelly is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, and business consultant. His books have been published in more than 25 languages, have appeared on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller lists, and have sold more than 40 million copies.

7 Speakers, 15 Audio& Video Presentations 15 Reflective Study Guides

• Advent Card Pack for Kids
• Guide Us to Thy Perfect Light” set of 35 unique Advent activity cards
• Craft box to keep cards together
• Prayers and daily activities to prepare for Christmas
• Designed and produced exclusively at The Catholic Company

This Catholic Company exclusive kids card pack features 35 inspiring cards filled with prayers, traditions, and activities for Advent. Each card serves as an opportunity to keep kids engaged and focused on the gift of Jesus this Advent and Christmas season. Below are excerpts from a few of the activity cards:

“No complaining today! Remember that Jesus began his life in a cold stable…He did this because He loves you! If you start feeling like complaining today, just stop for a minute. Ask Jesus for a little help. If you do this, you will find it much easier to forget about complaining. Asking Jesus for help is an act of FAITH!”

“Make a paper chain with 24 links…Each night, before you go to bed, ask Jesus to watch over someone you know. Maybe it’s your Mom or Dad. It could be a friend at school or someone who is sick…After you pray for that person, tear off a chain link. Each of your prayers gives HOPE to someone in your life.”

• • Replacement Advent Candle Set
  • For use with Advent Wreaths
  • Five taper candles included

  This Advent Candle set includes the traditional four Advent candles (three purple, one pink) plus a fifth white “Christ” candle to be lit on Chrismas day.

• Everybody’s got a solid wingman in St. Michael the Archangel. Put on these duds to draw attention to the best sidekick out there.

  Don’t freak out, but there’s a lot of evil roaming around in the world, prowling like a roaring lion. Thank Goodness that He has commissioned many more forces of good to combat the opponents of good. Chiefly, St. Michael the Archangel—the commander of angel armies, “prince of the heavenly host”—is our go-to for angelic aid.

  Extend the testimony of St. Michael the Achangel to others, regularly regain your inspiration from St. Michael’s example, or exercise generosity by giving a friend the gift of St. Michael’s witness to Christ and His Church with this That One Sheep shirt.