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The other day, JD tipped you off to a Web site offering a plethora of resources to help you embrace the season of Advent. Allow me to add one more:

I got another e-mail today from the folks at xt3, the pope’s social networking site for World Youth Day 2008 pilgrims. The e-mail debuted xt3’s monthly e-newsletter and introduced its Advent calendar. It features daily readings, reflections and activities that you can do online. For example, behind the virtual door for Dec. 1, lies a link to the xt3 music library where you can listen to Christmas tunes. And I didn’t even have to log in to access any of that.

Click the above image to access xt3's Advent calendar. No membership required for the daily readings.

There are homilies and such behind other “doors” that you will need to be a logged in member to access, but the calendar will clearly tell you whether or not the link requires a log in. This is a sophisticated Advent calendar too. It only lets you open the doors for the current date and all previous days of Advent, so no skipping ahead to Christmas Eve for those on xt3’s Christmas countdown.

This seems to be a pretty neat feature. Not only does this calendar appear to lead up to the Epiphany, but it has unique links I’m not used to seeing on other calendars. For example, the calendar briefly profiles St. Francis Xavier today and offers a link to the “Who wants to be a missionary?” page of xt3’s project section.

That link does require a log in, but it instantly puts you in touch with a priest who can advise you on various missionary opportunities.  The missionary page offers information about working with the Jesuits as a missionary for one year or more. What a great way to inspire service and expose youth of this world to a variety of religious vocations.

There are 55 members of this group. One of them is coincidentally Sr. Marie St. Paul, a Poor Clare Sister of Perpetual Adoration in Black Canyon City serving the diocese. Check out her vocation story. I found Sr. Augustine on there too.