Looking for ways to help your children enter into the Advent season? A mother of six in Delano has some ideas.
Nancy Bandzuch, who started a podcast and website called Catholic Sprouts five years ago, joined host Patrick Conley on the “Practicing Catholic” show to help parents and their children navigate the season of waiting.
“For the season of Advent, we offer a Jesse Tree study,” she said. “The Jesse Tree is sort of the ultimate countdown to Christmas … because you are going way back to the beginning and walking with the ancient Israelites in their long countdown to Christmas.”
Another idea, which she practices with her own family, is to use an Advent wreath. She has found that her children, who range in age from 1 to 12, respond enthusiastically to this time-honored tradition.
“Our Advent wreath is very important to us,” she said. “When we pull out that wreath and light the candles, it’s such a small thing, but it means so much to the kids to be gathered around this (wreath).”
She learned that the condition of the wreath doesn’t matter to her kids. After she and her husband pulled out the wreath this year, two of the candles broke, caused by what she called “kid interference.” Thinking it was the “saddest Advent wreath ever,” she had doubts about how effective it would be.
“But then, you light the candles — or light the one candle — and you turn the lights out, and it’s still really just magical,” she said. “The kids are just sort of mesmerized by that flickering flame.”
For her family, the season of Advent is simple yet profound. Bandzuch said things like the Jesse Tree and the Advent wreath can help parents draw their children into the season of Advent.
“They’re not huge, dramatic changes that you need to plan for,” she said, “but they’re things that the kids really notice and respond to.”
Bandzuch noted that Catholic Sprouts offers prayer and learning ideas for the entire year. A new component is called the Clubhouse, and it involves four live meetings a month, with one of them focused on praying together. In November, the kids and families prayed for the souls in purgatory. This month, they prayed the St. Andrew Christmas Novena together at the first live meeting.
“There’s nothing more beautiful than praying the St. Andrew Christmas Novena with 100 Catholic families,” she said. “It (Clubhouse gathering) is truly my most favorite hour of the month.”
Bandzuch likes to help other Catholic families enter more deeply into the faith, and doing so helps her own family, too. That is part of what keeps her going with Catholic Sprouts.
“Let’s just be honest: Catholic parenting is a marathon,” she said. “It’s difficult, and we’re always dealing with our own failures and sins and baggage. It’s just such a blessing to me to know that there are so many of us out there fighting to pass on the faith.”
To hear more about Catholic Sprouts and how Bandzuch uses it to help Catholic families, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Dec. 8 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Dec. 9 and 2 p.m. Dec. 10.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes Jean Houghton, director of the Office of Mission Advancement for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who talks about her role and how to support the work of the local Church; and Bishop Joseph Williams, who talks about the Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated Dec. 8.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at https://anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
