Celebrating 100 years
- Clustered Worship Sites:
Christ the King
St. Salome
St. Thomas the Apostle - Individual Worship Sites:
St. Cecilia
St. Margaret Mary - Irondequoit Catholic Communities:
Regional Mass Schedule
Regional Calendars
Irondequoit Senior Ministries
The twelve days of Christmas: The real meaning. (Sounds like a tabloid story doesn't it?)
My children brought this home to me. I had never looked at this carol in this way before. Amazing what comes your way.
Beginning in the 16th century through to the 19th century, Roman Catholics were not free to practice their religion in England. In order to pass on the traditions of the Church, songs such as this were devised to teach the younger generation about their forbidden religion.
Here are some of the symbols believed to be behind the words of this seemingly senseless song.
TRUE LOVE - a symbol for God, the one responsible for the gifts we receive
PARTRIDGE/PEAR TREE - symbol for Jesus, who died on a tree. Also a partridge gathers its young and keeps them safe under his wing
TWO TURTLE DOVES - symbolic of the two birds sacrificed by Joseph at the time of Jesus' birth, or a symbol of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible
THREE FRENCH HENS - Faith, Hope and Love, the three gifts of the Holy Spirit, a symbol of the Trinity, or perhaps the gifts the Magi brought the infant Jesus
FOUR CALLING BIRDS - the four Gospels in the New Testament and their authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS - the first five books of the Bible, also known as the "Book of Moses"
SIX GEESE A-LAYING - the six days of creation
SEVEN SWANS A-SWIMMING - the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: Piety, Wisdom, Counsel, Fear of the Lord, Understanding, Knowledge and Fortitude
EIGHT MAIDS A-MILKING - the eight Beatitudes, the declarations from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
NINE LADIES DANCING - nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, and Temperance
TEN LORDS A-LEAPING - the Ten Commandments
ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING - the faithful apostles, excluding Judas
TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING - the twelve points of the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed, stating all articles of faith and beliefs of the Church
