By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – The Ladies Auxiliary for the Knights of Columbus for Gluckstadt St. Joseph Parish paid a visit to the Carmelite Monastery in South Jackson at the end of October to get the place ready for the Advent and Christmas seasons. The Knights and Ladies brought pressure washers, garden tools and cleaning equipment to clean the statues, walkways and courtyards.

Inside, they cleaned and changed lightbulbs to make sure the shop and convent were well-lit and ready for shoppers. Patty Darbonne headed up the effort with help from Father Kevin Slattery, the sacramental minister for the parish.
The Sisters have been busy putting out the Christmas merchandise and baking brown bread and rum cakes for their traditional open house shopping days. The gift shop is now open every day and will be until Christmas. The holiday hours are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
There are several new Fontanini figurines available this year as well as Advent wreaths and candles to get you ready for the season. Don’t miss the brand new sale room featuring last year’s merchandise marked to sell and to make room for new items. As always, the Sisters carry a collection of crosses, crucifixes, jewelry, religious medals, Bibles and more.
The Sisters have started to become more active on social media so look for specials and coupons on their facebook page, Friends of the Jackson Carmel.