(MANTECA BULLETIN) — Christmas is not just about receiving gifts. It’s also about giving and sharing.
That’s the lesson that the preschoolers of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in Manteca and the Children’s Center in Tracy learned Saturday. At the 5 o’clock Mass, more than a dozen five-year-olds, accompanied by their teachers and other volunteers, joined the procession at the beginning of the service carrying wrapped gifts for Baby Jesus at the altar. The gifts were placed in and around the “manger” – sans the Baby Jesus – in front of a stable setting with the Blessed Mother.
“That has been my main thing from the beginning. Christmas is about giving, not just receiving,” said Sister Ann Venita who started this annual Baby Shower for Jesus event about half-a-dozen years ago through the church’s Ministry of Caring.
