St. Philip’s Members Share Advent Thoughts

The Advent season at St. Philip’s brings with it the wonderful opportunity for all of us to reflect upon, prepare ourselves for, and anticipate the celebration of Christmas joy. As a very special gift, members and friends of our parish community share their spiritual reflections in St. Philip’s Advent Meditations Booklet, now in its fifth year of publication. Each year’s theme has been slightly different, ranging from reflections on scriptural passages (2008), a spiritual calling or ordination (2009), a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (2010), and the reflection of parish groups upon seasonal Psalms (2011).

In 2012, the meditations will focus on the inspirational music that surrounds us at this special time. Together with St. Philip’s new Director of Music, Woosug Kang, Associate Music Director and Organist, Jeffrey Campbell, and the many choir members and instrumental musicians who contribute to the magical ministry of music that St. Philip’s brings to our community, we invite you to join us in moving slowly through these meditations, day by day, reflecting in your own way on this season of waiting, expectation, and hope. This year meditations will be accompanied by a link so that you may hear the music while you read the contributor’s thoughts. Advent Meditation Books will be available beginning on Sunday, December 2.And as usual, meditations will be posted online.

—Barbara Kiernan, editor

Parishioner Barbara Kiernan is the Director of the Scottish Rite-University of Arizona Child Language Center and Assistant Research Scientist and Instructor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona. She received the Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and held a Post Doctoral Fellowship there from l993-l994. Dr. Kiernan has extensive experience with children learning first and second languages, in both the United States and in Venezuela. Her area of research and teaching focuses on language learning and development of children with impaired language skills. Since l997, she has been extensively involved in developing the Wings on Words Preschool and Kindergarten and community outreach programs.

Barbara shares her language expertise with St. Philip’s in editing the Advent Meditation Booklet and also in preparing the cantos for the readers at our all-night reading of Dante’s Inferno on Maundy Thursday each year.