Bringing the Light: Orientation for St. Jude Shrine Parish GSL’s on Advent

More than 232 GKK Servant Leaders (GSLs) of St. Jude Parish gathered on Saturday, November 22, 2025, for an orientation on the Advent Wreath. This annual event prepares the parish community for the start of the new Liturgical Cycle and the holy season of Advent.

The orientation, spearheaded by the Worship Committee Head, Marie Cris Rebamonte, delved into the significance of the Advent season and the symbolism embedded within the Advent Wreath. Ms. Rebamonte emphasized the purpose of the upcoming family visits, explaining that all GSLs are assigned to visit at least two families every Sunday of Advent for the traditional Lighting of the Advent Wreath.

A key focus of the session was helping the GSLs fully grasp the activity they will execute. It was strongly emphasized that the four Advent candles are lit in succession on the four Sundays of Advent, each symbolizing the core themes of the season leading up to Christmas: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

To ensure effective delivery of the message and ritual, a short enactment was performed, showing the GSLs exactly how to approach and deliver the Advent Wreath ceremony to each family.

The activity goes beyond mere ritual, embodying a spirit of mission and charity. Families visited will be invited to give offerings, either monetary or in kind. The proceeds of this collection will serve as the parish’s meaningful Christmas gift offering to the LUMAD brothers and sisters, demonstrating concrete love and solidarity with the indigenous community.

Fr. Leonardo A. Dublan, Jr., the St. Jude Shrine Parish Priest, provided further spiritual context for the initiative. He explained that the act of visiting families and lighting the wreath is essentially “one way of bringing the light to each family,” illuminating their homes and hearts with the promise and anticipation of Christ’s coming. The symbol of God’s eternal love, and the preparation for it, naturally begins with the family, which is called the “Domestic Church.”

The family is the primary place where members experience, learn, and live out God’s love through one another. It witnesses to and celebrates the faith, much like a small church.

The successful turnout and engaging nature of the orientation ensure that St. Jude Parish’s GKK Servant Leaders are well-equipped to guide their respective communities into a prayerful, hopeful, and charitable Advent season. (Jeralyn Babet Adegue-Palero | Photos: St. Jude Youth SoCCom)