DYER – Piles of crinkled wrapping paper decorated each table to reflect the theme “Unwrapping Jesus” as more than 40 children gathered for a Christmas Vacation Bible Day on Dec. 29 at St. Maria Goretti.
Guided by Kathy Hansen, director of religious education, with assistance from dozens of adult and teen volunteers, the youngsters formed five groups to move through five stations – crafts, music, snacks, games and story time. The story read to them as they sat next to a full Nativity set, of course, was the story of Jesus’ birth and the light that shone in the sky over the manager where he lay.
“At each station, the children, ages four to 11, learned how Jesus shines his light on us and how they can shine their own light in the world, following the example of Christ,” said Hansen. “We’ve hosted this day for seven years, ever since I began serving the parish, and I’m so grateful for the volunteers, about 20 teenagers and a number of adults, too. They make it all work.”
Hansen is hoping some of her teen volunteers will help establish a parish youth group in 2026. “Our teen volunteers today have already committed to returning to help with our summer vacation Bible school, which is a week long,” she said. “Once they see how much fun it is, they want to return.
“We don’t use a ‘canned’ program; we develop our own theme, activities and music. Last summer our theme was Pope Leo,” Hansen recalled.
“We are trying to explain how movement and music is part of worship, and build community and praise,” said Adam White of the music ministry at St. Maria Goretti, who used the sound of a bongo to lead attendees in a procession snaking its way through the church hall and led them in carols, including “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”
In the craft lesson, the children created a “Sparkler of Light” by painting their hand bright yellow, transferring the paint to a coloring sheet, and adding glitter to show their handprint holding a shiny sparkler.
Each group also enjoyed snack time, which included healthy vegetables, crackers and hummus, as well as a Rice Krispie treat, which they transformed into a present by wrapping it in edible ribbon.
During game time, the children played a “hot potato” game that had them passing around a present until only one child was left. Bingo was another popular game, using symbols of Christmas in place of numbers.
“Learning about the Nativity scene” during story time was the favorite activity of Brayden Borkowski, while Nathan Leyenbecker, 10, was pleased to win a round of “hot potato” by passing a wrapped gift around the table as quickly as possible.
“Our planning committee discussed how we could include the Nativity scene in our activities, since some families do not have one in their home and we want the children to know who is in it,” explained Hansen. “Our First Communion class creates a Nativity scene each year for the church, and we display our beautiful Fontanini scene here in the hall.”
To remind them to shine their light, each child went home wearing a glow necklace and carrying a small box that contained a mirror to reflect their smiling face. “It is a gift from God,” Hansen told them. “Let your light shine like Jesus.” Prompted to list ways they could do just that, the children suggested “being kind” and “praying for peace.”
As the children gathered up their belongings to head home, Hansen led them in a closing prayer: “Jesus, thank you for being the best gift we could ever get. Help us unwrap you every day during 2026 and give you away to everyone we know. Amen.”
Caption: Adam White of the Music Ministry at St. Maria Goretti in Dyer, leads children on a musical procession to teach them about movement during the Christmas Vacation Bible Day on Dec. 29. They also sang “Go Tel It On The Mountain,” “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World” to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
