Advent Winter Solstice Celebration 2007

On December 21, 2007 over 80 people crowded the Catholic Renewal Center in Fort Worth to celebrate the longest night of the year hosted by Ministries Outreach. The program was written and presented by Dick Carpenter Tom Kelly with the help of many others. The music was provided by The Horsech Family, Mike and Jan Horsch and their college aged daughters, Sara and Rachel,Fran and Hester Dornan (Hester's a junior at LSU this year).

After a prayer service everyone was called to share with others the abundance of food that each one skillfully and lovingly prepared and brought. Everyone renewed old and formed new friendships in their lively conversations. After everyone had their fill a program was presented.

Excerpts from the Program

“As children fearful of the night, we scare away the demons of our dreams with artificial light, until we feel the Sun pushing far away the darkness within, and so we begin each day anew with the morning light. Our daily lives distract us from the issues of the night, until the Sun’s rays slowly sink out of sight, and we once again visit our dreams.”

“As we center ourselves we imagine our central core glowing with your inner light.”

“Centered in this way, we find your holy presence like a fire in the middle of a human circle, like the energies at the center of every atom or the meaning at the center of life”

William Cleary

Candles were lighted from the Yule Log and taken to the tables until each one was burning and placed on the table.

Closing

May we who celebrate this Winter Solstice, by our lives and service, by our prayers and love, call forth one another the light and the love, which is hidden in every heart.