My True Love Gave to Me …

As you enter the St Mary’s main church this Christmas, your will notice that our decorations are more than festive, they invite you to reflect on God’s gift to us.

One set of banners draws from The Twelve Days of Christmas, a familiar Christmas carol often understood as a joyful way of remembering the core truths of our faith . The other celebrates the Canticle of the Creatures, composed 800 years ago by St Francis of Assisi, praising God for the gift of creation, reminding us that creation itself is God’s gift, calling us to gratitude, care and praise. Together they echo our theme, “My True Love Gave to Me” — reminding us that God, who gives us creation and faith, now gives us the greatest gift of all: Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, born among us at Christmas.

At Christmas, we remember that God is the True Lover,
generous beyond measure.
He gives us creation to sustain us, faith to guide us, and ultimately His Son, born among us.
All these gifts prepare our hearts for the greatest gift of all —
Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God-with-us.
May these signs help us pause, reflect, and rejoice —
and receive once again the love that is given, not earned.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - A Song of Faith

Beyond its joyful imagery, this well-loved English carol is traditionally understood as a hidden catechism, recalling the core truths of our faith — the Creed, the Sacraments, the Commandments, the Beatitudes — gifts handed on through generations, in times when faith had to be quietly preserved. While this cannot be historically proven with certainty, the symbolism has been warmly received as a catechetical reading of the carol.

In this light, “My True Love” represents God, and the gifts point to the treasures of our faith:

⁠1 Partridge in a Pear Tree – Jesus Christ
⁠2 Turtle Doves – Old and New Testaments
⁠3 French Hens – Faith, Hope and Charity
⁠4 Calling Birds – The Four Gospels
⁠5 Gold Rings – The first five books of Scripture
⁠6 Geese a-Laying – The six days of Creation
7 Swans a-Swimming – The seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
⁠8 Maids a-Milking – The Beatitudes
⁠9 Ladies Dancing – The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
⁠10 Lords a-Leaping – The Ten Commandments
⁠11 Pipers Piping – The faithful Apostles
⁠12 Drummers Drumming – The Articles of the Creed