By Carol
Schaal '91M.A.
Kevin
Sandberg, CSC, '88, '04M.Div., wanted to share the story about
God's coming in Christmas with his niece and nephews. He just
didn't want it to sound like a lecture. And so the 2003 Notre
Dame Advent calendar was born.
The 30 inset windows of the calendar are on a photograph of
Sacred Heart Basilica and the Main Building. Beginning November
30, 2003, a window should be opened each day, revealing a photo
and text.
The story, Sandberg notes, "moves from the ordinary to the spiritual."
On the second day of Advent, opening the appropriate calendar
window reveals the Irish Guard walking through campus. "Our preparation
for Christ's coming takes place alongside everyday life," the
text reads, "even the ongoing football season at Notre Dame."
Scripture is used to tell the Biblical story itself, beginning
in the 17th window. Photos of stained glass windows, religious
sculptures and a creche replace the earlier campus-centered scenes.
"I took 300 pictures and I used 30 of then," says Sandberg.
His sister, Eileen Trimble, a 1989 Notre Dame graduate, sized
the photos for the calendar, and Sandberg wrote the copy.
Trimble, her husband, Steve, and their three children live in
Royal Palm Beach, Florida, but they'll get a big dose of the ND
campus with the Advent calendar. "My brother-in-law's family are
fans of Florida State," Sandberg says with a grin.
Proceeds from the $12.95 calendar will go to Moreau Seminary.
It is available at the Notre Dame Hammes Bookstore or online at
www.ndcatalog.com.
"My real hope is it becomes a tradition for families," says
Sandberg, who is already planning the 2004 Advent calendar.
(Autumn 2003)
