THE UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS INVITES YOUR FAMILY TO JOIN OUR FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS
Take in the night sky of the first Christmas at the Star of Bethlehem 2014 planetarium show, tour beautiful Brookside during Christmas in the Castle, do some Christmas shopping at the Fair Trade Bazaar, and join a candlelight procession to the Lighting of the Lake and the Living Nativity remembering the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
Christmas at USF features events the first three weekends in December. Many are free, and all have free parking. An event schedule with details follows. More information is also available at sf.edu/christmas.
The USF Jazz Ensemble and Guitar Ensemble will present a free concert at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5 in the North Campus auditorium.
“Star of Bethlehem 2014” will be offered at Schouweiler Planetarium, Achatz Hall on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 12:30 and 3 p.m.; Wednesday (senior day), Dec. 10 at 12:30 and 3 p.m.; Fridays, Dec. 12 and 19 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, Dec. 13 and 20 at 3 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays, Dec. 14 and 21 at 5 p.m. The 90-minute program follows the path of the Wise Men in 3 B.C., then views Fort Wayne’s winter sky. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for visitors under 18 and senior citizens. A maximum of $14 per family is charged. Parking is off Leesburg Road.
Christmas in the Castle will be from 4 to 6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5; noon-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6 and 7; and 4-6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8. Visitors will tour all three floors of historic Brookside, the former Bass mansion, decorated for Christmas by local florists and designers. Admission is $6 per person, with a $25 maximum for a family of six. Free parking is available at the North Campus on Spring Street, directly across from Brookside. Tickets may be purchased in the North Campus lobby on event days, and shuttles will be available for those with mobility concerns. For visitors who would like to hear more stories about the Bass family, their life and their home, the university will offer an afternoon of private guided tours from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 9. Tours will last one hour and must be arranged prior to Dec. 1 by calling (260) 399-8140. Cost for this private tour is $10 per person, with group rates available. Senior Day in the Castle for senior citizens will be from noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10. Admission is $4 per person, and group rates are available. Brookside is handicapped accessible.
A Fair Trade Alternative Shopping Bazaar will be held from noon to 5:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 7 at the North Campus. The shopping bazaar features local merchants offering high-quality, fairly traded handicrafts of disadvantaged producers from all over the world.
The last Sunday Mass of the semester will be celebrated at 5 p.m. in St. Francis Chapel in the west end of Trinity Hall. Following Mass, the university community will lead a candlelight procession across Mirror Lake to the site of the Living Nativity.
The Lighting of the Lake will honor special loved ones on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. in the Pope John Paul II Center amphitheater. As a symbol of Christmas, vigil lights will encircle part of Mirror Lake. Luminaries dedicated to loved ones can be purchased for the light display at $10 each by calling (260) 399-8037 by Dec. 4. This free event is followed by the Living Nativity.
A USF tradition, the Living Nativity will take place at 6:10 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 7 in the amphitheater next to the Pope John Paul II Center on the main USF Spring Street campus. Parking is available off Leesburg Road and admission is free. In 1223, in a mountain cave near the Italian town of Greccio, Francis of Assisi led a group of villagers at the Christmas Midnight Mass, recalling the poverty and humility of Christ’s birth by re-enacting the first Christmas. In this simple yet profound way, Francis made visible the amazing reality of the Incarnation: the Son of God becoming man. Thus began the tradition of the Christmas.
Handel’s “Messiah” will be presented Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Robert Goldstine Performing Arts Center at 431 W. Berry St. This performance of the immortal work will include full, traditional Messiah score using 21st century technology to digitally enhance voices and instruments. Tickets are $30 for premier seating, $20 for general admission and $10 for students over 13. Tickets can be purchased at the ArtsTix Community Box Office, ticket.artstix.org or by phone, (260) 422-4226. Tickets may also be secured through Heartland at (260) 436-8080. USF faculty, staff and students can receive free tickets by showing USF identification at the Heartland Sings office on Leesburg Road. This production is made possible by a collaboration between Heartland, the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and the University of Saint Francis.
The National Contemporary Painting Exhibition, Brenda Moore Exhibition and the 50th Anniversary of Rolling Stones Visit to Fort Way in Photos by Stephan Perfect will be display in the John P. Weatherhead Gallery at Rolland Center from Nov. 17 through Jan. 16, with closures on Nov. 28 and 29 and Dec. 23-Jan. 1 for holidays. The exhibit is free.
Oh Blindness To The Future, Kindly Given – Recent Works by Tim Parsley will be displayed in the Lupke Gallery at the North Campus from Nov. 17 through Jan. 16, 2015, with closures on Nov. 28 and 29 and Dec. 23-Jan. 1 for holidays. The exhibit is free.
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