JANUARY..... 2003     

EPIPHANY

Leadership is Service

January 6, 2003 marks the Feast of the Epiphany.  This day (this year Monday the 6th) marks the end of the Advent Season and the twelfth day of Christmas.   The oldest of the Catholic Feast Days, Epiphany means "manifestation" and recalls the visit by the Three Kings, Wisemen, or Magi to the Baby Jesus.  In the days of the Early Church, the Feast of the Epiphany was a day for those who believed in Christ to be baptized, much like our practice at Easter.  Some Historians have been led to believe that the origins of Epiphany has roots in the Jewish celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.  This Feast marks God's covenant in water and light.  For many countries Epiphany is celebrated even more than Christmas Day itself. Gifts are given in memory of the King's gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Often times homes are blest with holy water, in remembrance of the humble home where the Kings' came to find Jesus and his Mother, Mary.  The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus usually follows this feast in the Western Church.

QUESTION:
The three wise men in the story of Christmas carried gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  What are frankincense and myrrh?  Can you still get them today?

ANSWER:
Frankincense and myrrh are both resins -- dried tree sap -- that come from trees of the genus Boswellia (frankincense) and Commiphora (myrrh), which are common to Somalia.

The way that people collect the sap is similar to the way people collect rubber-tree sap or pine-tree sap. Cutting the tree's bark causes the sap to ooze out of the cut. The sap used to create both frankincense and myrrh comes slowly and is allowed to dry on the tree. The hardened sap is collected and used as frankincense and myrrh.

Both in the time of the three wise men and today, frankincense and myrrh are most commonly used to create incense. You mix frankincense with things like spices, seeds and roots to create different aromas. Traditionally, you burn the powdered incense with charcoal in a censer or on a small stand.

THE LEGEND OF LA BEFANA

La Befana (literal meaning from Italian, the witch) is celebrated in conjunction with Epiphany.  Here are a couple of stories to share La Befanaabout her origin and how her legend is celebrated in Italy.

Many centuries ago, King Herod decreed that the first born male child and each male child born in that year was to be slain. It was his desire to kill the child reported to have been born the new "King." Soldiers rampaged villages throughout the country murdering male children. One mother became so stricken with grief that she was unable to cry nor accept the loss of her son. She looked and looked around her house for her baby son. She became convinced that her child was not dead, but instead lost. She placed all her child’s belongings onto a tablecloth and bundled it at the end to carry it over her shoulder and set out searching from house to house for him.

To this young mother it seemed much time had passed as she searched yet, in only a few days, she came upon a child. Convinced that she had found her lost son, she placed the cloth sack containing all her son’s belongings at the base of the manger where the child laid. The young father gazed at the face of this stranger bearing gifts and wondered about the many years in this old woman’s past. Her face had many lines and her hair was fully grayed.

The child was Jesus Christ and in gratitude to the "OLD" woman’s generosity, He gave the woman a wonderful blessing. One night a year for all eternity, the woman He named "La Befana" for "giver of gifts," would have all the children of the world as her own. On that night, she would be able to visit each one, bringing them clothing and toys. The night is January 5 each year and the morning of January 6, children all over Italy find their stockings filled with sweet curly candy for being very good or a dark piece of coal if they have been bad. During the night of La Befana’s visit, she is hosted by each family with a plate containing broccoli and spice sausage plus a small glass of wine.

Another version:

As legend has it the three Wise Men were in search of the Christ child when they decided to stop at a small house to ask for directions. Upon knocking, an old woman holding a broom opened the door slightly to see who was there. Standing at her doorstep were three colorfully dressed men who were in need of directions to find the Christ child. The old woman was unaware of who these three men were looking for and could not point them in the right direction. Prior to the three men leaving they kindly asked the old woman to join them on their journey. She declined because she had much housework to do. After they left she felt as though she had made a mistake and decided to go and catch up with the kind men. After many hours of searching she could not find them. Thinking of the opportunity she had missed the old woman stopped every child to give them a small treat in hopes that one was the Christ child. Each year on the eve of the Epiphany she sets out looking for the baby Jesus. She stops at each child's house to leave those who were good treats in their stockings and those who were bad a lump of coal.

January Quote!!!

You may be disappointed if you fail,
but you are doomed if don't try.

                                       -Beverly Sills

   Leading is not something that just the elected or designated leader does.  Leadership happen when anyone in the group does or says something that moves the whole group further toward any of these three goals:
  
1.  The accomplishment of the task.
2.  The resolution of internal group problems.
3.  The ability of the members to work together
     effectively as a group.
          The designated leader shares the responsibility of the leadership role with all the members.
A Good Leader:
*Involves everyone in building and maintaining a productive group.  People tend to support what they themselves create.
*Views leadership as service, a way to help the group to develop an atmosphere of trust that helps the group accomplish its task.
*Helps the group to see how it can deal with internal conflicts that disrupt meetings.
*Encourages the group to accept conflicts as a group problem and to discuss and work through it so that they can then return to their task.
A Good Leader Serves as:
*Facilitator
*Consultant
*Adviser
*Teacher
*Observer
*Participant
          Because he or she believes in the responsibility and ability of the group members to reach decision, maintain and develop the group, and help each other learn how to be more effective participants, the leader actively encourages the involvement of all members. 
          The effective leader sees the group as a group, not just a s collection of individual, and thus can be aware of how morale or feelings of satisfaction can change within the group and affect its behavior.

January... TIME TO:




*     Hold special event for Honor Roll Students
*     Hold elections of Officers and Representatives for
       spring semester (if needed)
*     Evaluate Council contribution to school life and
       purposes set in September
*     Plan school improvement activities
*     Stress citizenship and responsibilities for the month
*     Prepare for Mid-Term Exams
*     Plan Secret Pal with Principal, Teachers, Staff and
       Council Members

January Trivia

On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island was opened and began operation as a processing center for millions of immigrants.

January 4 is the birthday of Louis Braille, who invented a special alphabet for blind people.

Jacob Grimm, the famous coauthor of Grimm's Fairy Tales, was born on January 4, 1785.

Singer Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935.

Martin Luther King, Jr. born on January 21st.

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, former astronaut and one of the three first men on the moon, was born on January 20, 1930.

John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born on January 23, 1737.

The Super Bowl football game is played annually in January.