Time was when the cultural celebration of Christmas began the evening of Dec. 24 and ended the evening of Jan. 6 — 12 days. 

As late as the 1940s it was still traditional to wait until Christmas Eve to set up the family tree. Oh, parents might go out a day or two beforehand to tack up strings of colored lights to outline their houses’ porches and gables and hang an evergreen wreath on the door. Even so, the crèche, tree and other major decorations were not seen till Christmas Eve.

A soft-spoken, gentle man born in Orleans, France, in 1607, Isaac Jogues entered the Society of Jesus in 1624, was ordained, and served at the university in Rouen as a professor of literature. He was sent as a Jesuit missionary to Canada in 1636, where he joyfully brought the Gospel to Native Americans, sailing up the St. Lawrence River to the city of Quebec.

The Blessed Virgin Mary did not have an easy life, despite the joy she knew as the loving mother of Jesus. She faced many difficulties. such as being pregnant and walking — or riding a donkey — for 90 miles over three or four days. Devotionally, the Church lists seven major sorrow-ful events in her life:

In 258 A.D., Publius Licinius Valerianus — known to history as Valerian — had been Emperor of Rome for five years. He became perturbed that many members of the patrician and equestrian classes were fascinated by a dead Galilean carpenter whose teachings had vexed the empire for two centuries.

About 18 years ago I found myself torn between ambition and apathy, wondering if I should roast Cornish game hens or make up some quick BLTs for dinner. I decided to put the question to my then twelve year-old son, DeForeest, laboring at his desk with his homework.

“Up on the housetop, click, click, click!

Down through the chimney with Good Saint Nick!”

There is hardly a more popular saint than Nicholas, bishop of Myra, patron of Sicily, Greece, Russia and numerous cities. Within the Universal Church, in both Latin and Eastern rites, hundreds of churches bear his name.