For Catholics around the world, Advent begins this Sunday, November 30, and the Christmas season continues from Christmas Day until January 11. Introduce your students to the USCCB’s online interactive and printable Advent calendar – it incorporates resources from the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development with the goal of fostering greater consciousness about Catholic Social Teaching in relation to the Advent and Christmas seasons. Additionally, after Christmas day, the USCCB has a similar Christmas calendar with different reflection and action suggestions.
Are your students concerned about the social meanings of Christmas and its impact on God’s creation? The “commercialization of Christmas” is a conversation Americans seem to have every year, and yet few take action steps to truly transform the way they celebrate. This year, however, the bloggers at Catholic Ecology posit that the “Francis effect” might open our eyes to the excessive consumerism we practice during the Christmas season, and its negative impact on God’s creation.
ACCU Peace and Justice 