Glory To Jesus Christ!
Dear Parents,
Hi! My name is Zeon (like a neon sign but with a “Z”) and I am the parish dog at Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen. I am really excited because one of my most favorite feast days is quickly approaching…The Feast of St. Nicholas! This is a really important feast day in the Byzantine Church and one that is celebrated by children all around the world. Many of you may know the tradition of leaving a shoe outside the door and during the night St. Nicholas stops by to fill the shoe with goodies if you were good or coal if you were bad. Well I am happy to report that so far, St. Nicholas has always left me my favorite box of Milk Bones and a new squeaky toy! However, did you ever wonder where this tradition came from? Or who this St. Nicholas person was?
On Saturday, December 4th the humans from my parish are hosting an event called Christmas on the Prairie. This free event that is open to the public will combine the life and tradition of St. Nicholas with the life of the earlier settlers on the pristine Illinois prairie. Starting at 2:00pm there will be demonstrations on the life of the earlier settlers. Learn how these people celebrated Christmas when the gifts were simple and did not need electricity. You can even make your own nature-inspired Christmas crafts, learn how to dip a candle, or see how they completed everyday tasks like spinning wool or churning butter.
If you are up for an adventure, you can take a walk through our award-winning prairie (my personal favorite place to run and chase birds and bunnies – but don’t worry, I never hurt them) and see the beauty that nature has to provide even during the winter months. Along the lighted path you will encounter some very special people who will tell you the true story of St. Nicholas, the real person behind the legend we now know as Santa Claus. Just in case you get a little cold or weary on your journey, we will have a warming station with hot apple cider and cookies to keep you going.
If you are curious about what a Byzantine Catholic Church is you are welcome to step into the church and discover some of the riches of the Eastern Lung of the Catholic Church. Inside you will see the ancient art of the church in icons painted floor-to-ceiling, depicting the life of Christ. You will also be able to experience a form of the Eastern prayer in chant and song.
Now for my favorite part of the day! At 4:30pm, the children will gather and await the arrival of St. Nicholas himself! He always arrives on his horse-drawn carriage and then he lets us take a ride around the property on the carriage while he meets with the children in the church. When St. Nicholas departs at 6:00pm we will gather in the church to pray Vespers (the night prayer of the church).
I hope that you can join us for our special St. Nicholas celebration! It is sure to be a memorable day filled with adventure, excitement and wonder. You are welcome to join us for the whole afternoon or just come for a little while. Either way I am sure you will be glad you did, because then you will know why this is my most favorite feast day!
Hope to see you at Christmas on the Prairie! (I am a little older and grayer now but I still enjoy greeting people with the wag of my tail!)
Zeon
