I remember seeing the star every year as I grew up, after we left our family Christmas party at Grandpa’s house. It was on the dome of the St. Charles Center, a senior living community for Missionaries of the Precious Blood and local lay people. Their simple tradition of placing the lighted star on that dome inspired their annual “Follow the Star” celebration of the Advent season, as a way of engaging the local community after the COVID-19 shutdown.

“A group of lay residents approached me about the possibility and [their] desire to host a public event here at St. Charles Senior Living Community during the … season,” said Teresa DiSalvo, Senior Living Manager.

Interested residents formed a committee, planned the event and collected the items needed to pull it off. There was no budget the first year, and it still operates through donations and the local community’s good will.

Having no blueprint for what the event should look like, volunteers that first year were anxious at times, but the joy in anticipating coming together as a community and sharing their gifts gave them hope that this would indeed be a positive way to engage and evangelize guests at St. Charles Center. And all the effort paid off!

Over 2,800 people came to the event, said DiSalvo, cementing it as an annual celebration.

Centered on 14 Stations of the Nativity in the building’s first-floor hallway, Follow the Star enables guests to meditate on the events surrounding Jesus’ birth throughout Advent and pray the Stations communally on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Father Dennis Chriszt C.PP.S., a member of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and of the Follow the Star Committee said, “These Stations are an opportunity to evangelize and to tell the story of Christmas as a religious feast.” Without the story of Christ’s birth, the lovely decorations, tasty cinnamon rolls and Festival of Trees are devoid of deeper meaning.

Like their Stations, the Festival of Trees is a unique part of the celebration. Local religious education programs and Catholic elementaries are invited to decorate a tree, with students deciding its theme and making its ornaments. People vote for their favorite tree by donating money to the group it represents, such as the children’s religious education groups.

Local youth also participate in the live nativity with animals from local farms, and a gift shop supports the event, where you can find the aforementioned cinnamon rolls and other holiday items. On Saturday, Dec. 7, Brother Tim Cahill, C.PP.S. conducts the Polar Express for young train enthusiasts, and hayrides are available on the grounds—be sure to get hot cider afterward!

Sunday’s more prayerful tone begins with Mass in the Center’s Assumption Chapel, followed by a Lessons and Carols Service in the afternoon that draws musicians and vocalists from the local community.

“I like being in the Chapel with it getting darker out and the candles lit, it’s just beautiful,” said Beth Ryan, a committee member. Prayer is at the heart of the ministry, and the chapel provides a beautiful backdrop for it.

Like the wise men of old, you, too, are invited to “Follow the Star” to St. Charles this Advent season and experience the joy and beauty this community offers.

Many activities only occur December 7 and 8, after which the public is invited to stop in on weekday afternoons to see the Festival of Trees, pray the Stations of the Nativity and visit the chapel. For more information, visit their Facebook page: Follow the Star: Christmas at St. Charles.

IF you go, Follow the Star 2024 will be from 12:30 to 7 p.m. on December  7 and from 11 to 5 p.m. December 8.  St Charles Seminary, 2860 US Route 127, Carthagena 45822

For more Advent Events throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Click Here

This article appeared in the December 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.