2024 Advent Season

Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, "ad-venire" in Latin or "to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, focus particularly on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas).

Advent devotions including the Advent wreath, remind us of the meaning of the season. Our Advent calendar below can help you fully enter in to the season with daily activity and prayer suggestions to prepare you spiritually for the birth of Jesus Christ.  

Many families and countries have different ideas and traditions on how to celebrate Advent versus Christmas. For example, some do not listen to any Christmas carols until Christmas Eve, in order to make sure that Advent celebrations don’t become Christmas celebrations.

But this doesn’t mean you have to pass up every Christmas party invitation you receive to make sure you are celebrating Advent properly! Instead, remember to keep the spirit of Advent in everything you do until Christmas Eve. This means having a spirit of hopeful longing, joyful expectation, prayerful penance and spiritual preparation.
 

Advent is a season of devout and joyful preparation for the coming of Jesus.
Fr. Mike Schmitz

Parishioners are encouraged to determine how they might best embrace this season of anticipation, gratitude and preparation. 

Fr. Ken Wolfe offers a few online suggestions/encouragements:

Catholic Traditions for Advent and Christmas
Start Now for a Happier Wholly Holier Advent and Christmas
What Are You Waiting For?
Catholic Apostolate Center: Advent Resources
Advent & Christmas Prayers & Reflections
The Season of Advent in the Catholic Church