Attention: As of 1/22/14, Hosanna Music Ministry is officially closed.

Christmas Carolling at the Canossaville Children's Home

Father T would say that we should not be singing Christmas carols during Advent. But...well...sorry...we just wanted to share a little Christmas cheer to the children at Canossaville Children's Home.

Today, a couple of us folks together wtih our children after practising for several weeks made it down to the children's home for an afternoon of Christmas carolling. The children age ranging from 5yr to P5. A total of 40 kids. Some of these kids come from poor, broken or troubled homes. While some where there for student care. To find out more http://www.cch.org.sg/index.html.

We spent the afternooon singing to the children and provided some snacks, sweats and gifts.

Here are a couple of photos from the event.

YooHOO!!!!

Hello hello??!?! Anyone home?!?!


what happened to everyone? A new year began and we've all forgotten about this?!?

Advent @ H!MM

Last Sat after carolling, we started our Advent project...making our own wreath. I must say, we have very creative folks in our group. Here are some moments we captured. We continued after the wreath making with prayers and blessing of the Advent wreath.

Christmas isn't Christmas till it's Christmas....

yes yes. We are supposed to celebrate Christmas only during Christmas. Advent is Advent; Christmas is Christmas...

ok. So what is this that I'm talking about?

We had the privilege of being educated with some theological nuggets by Fr. T at our last meeting. Apparently we are not supposed to have any celebrations or singing of Christmas carols during the period of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation for the coming of the Lord, not a time for celebrating His coming. It is a season of spiritual preparation, focusing on His coming. It is also the time for us to ponder the great mystery of the incarnation when our Lord humbled Himself, taking on our humanity, and entered our time and space to free us from sin. The four weeks also represents the 4,000 years from the time of Adam and Eve to the birth of our Saviour.

...well, this is just a little piece of information I have found. Fr. T had also rightly pointed out the meaning of Advent in his little anecdote about why we should only be celebrating Christmas during the season of Christmas.

Indeed, this is enlightening and somewhat akin to a paradigm shift. Because for many, the practice of having celebrations and singing carols before Christmas day has more or less become a tradition of sorts. To change this 'tradition', one would really need a mindset change.

So, as I have put it Christmas isn't Christmas till it's Christmas...

...for now, let us all focus on what we are called to do as a faithful during this season of Advent.

Itchy fingers

My fingers got a little itchy so decided to change the look and feel of the site.
Looks brighter and more vibrant. Don't you think?

Buzzy wuzzy in anticipation

As we all are familiar that Advent is a period of preparation and hopeful anticipation, I could not help but feel how timely all this was. In some ways, we stepped out of the room yesterday all a-buzzed with some kind of excitement and in hopeful anticipation. The clarity that came after we bounced our ideas all around the room was amazingly clear. The energy I felt among us was something quite unlike what I have experienced before.

Incidentally, Advent is so close too! Isn't this quite a reminder of how we all should feel about the coming of Jesus as an infant; the hope for mankind, the sweet salvation that is to come to cleanse us of our sins, take away our sufferings and at the end of it all, bring us home to our Father....?

I am very sure that there is a sense of renewed hope in each one of us.

Let this Advent be a special one for each and every one of us and for H!MM as well. May it signify a great time of preparation for the wonderful future to come.