The Filipino Apostolate invites you to join us for
A FAMILY CHRISTMAS MASS
Sunday, December 25th, 1 PM – celebrated by Fr. Cyriac
St. John the Baptist Church, 44 Church St., Quincy, MA.
To commemorate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
All are invited and welcome to a Christmas reception and entertainment after the Mass. Our distinguished guest, Santa Claus will distribute gifts to children and encourage our guests to have their photos taken with him. Please remember to bring a wrapped gift with your child/children's name for Santa to give. This will be Santa's last stop before going home to the North Pole. You may also bring a dish or dessert (optional) to share with the community, which we'll greatly appreciate. Please call Loreta Borneo (617-328-9046), Ruben Austria (617-851-1667) or Teng Chiefe (781-963-1740) with any questions or concerns.
Christmas is the most important Catholic holiday revolving around the story of how the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, the son of God.
Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christmas Octave, the eight days from December 25 through January 1. The second day of the festival, December 26, is devoted to St. Stephen, the First Martyr; the third, to apostle and evangelist John the Baptist (on that day wine is consecrated); the fourth day is devoted to the memory of the Holy Infants of Bethlehem (on that day priests offer special blessings to children). Sunday, which falls on one of the days between December 26 and 31, or, if none of the days is a Sunday in a particular year, December 30 marks the feast of the Holy Family: the Christ child, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. January 1 marks the joy of the Holy Virgin. Christmas tide continues beyond the Octave until the Baptism of Christ, which in the Roman Catholic calendar is marked on the first Sunday after Epiphany (January 6). Throughout the Christmas holidays the clergy are clad in festive white robes.
Traditions The Christmas tradition of decorating Christmas trees can be traced back to Germanic peoples in whose rituals the evergreen fir tree was the symbol of life and fertility. As Christianity spread among the peoples of Central and Northern Europe, the Christmas tree decorated with colored balls acquired a new symbolic meaning: it was put up in homes on December 24, which in Western tradition is Adam and Eve day, to symbolize the tree in the Garden of Eden.
In the context of Christmas, the fir tree symbolizes the tree of the Garden of Eden and the eternal life man acquires through the New Adam, Jesus Christ.
The Gospel narrative of the three Wise Men who came to prostrate themselves before the Christ child and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh gave rise to the tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmas. Traditionally the family sits down to a Christmas dinner, with the festive food differing from country to country.
