Blessing of the Greens

The "blessing of the greens" is an annual ritual we observe in our monastery about a week before Christmas. The message is, "Let the decorating begin." Our prioress, Sister Kristine Anne Harpenau, blesses sprigs of evergreen and gives one to each of the deaneries (groups of sisters living in the various residential areas of the monastery), to represent the beginning of Christmas decorating in our monastery. During the first few weeks of Advent, we focus more on the internal, spiritual preparation for Christmas. That continues, but the external preparations also become important this final week of Advent.