Advent calendars are popular, often containing chocolates or even luxury goods. But what are they and where did they originate? Here's how the faithful use them to prepare for Christmas.

Motherhood was the primary vocation for Therese Geuer Mueller. The holder of a doctorate in economics and sociology, Mueller ...

Advent 2024 starts on Sunday. Dec. 1. Here's what Christians do during Advent, how long it lasts and how it's different from Christmas.

Advent begins this year on Sunday, Dec. 3. Most Catholics, even those who don’t often go to Mass, know that Advent involves a wreath with candles, possibly a “calendar” of hidden chocolates ...

The first vespers of Advent at St. Catherine's Church in Bethlehem (the Latin part of the Basilica of the Nativity complex) is presided over by the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton ...

CNA Newsroom, Dec 3, 2023 / 06:00 am. Advent begins this year on Sunday, Dec. 3. Most Catholics, even those who don’t often go to Mass, know that Advent involves a wreath with candles, possibly ...

Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808-1881), a Lutheran pastor in Germany who spent years doing urban mission work among the poor, is credited to be the “inventor” of the modern Advent wreath in the ...

This year, Advent starts on Sunday, Dec. 3, and will encompass four weeks, with each week dedicated to a specific theme represented by the lighting of candles on an Advent wreath. The themes ...

Within the wreath’s branches, four candles representing the four weeks of Advent are inserted, with one lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas. Three candles are purple and one is rose ...

In the liturgical cycle, each Sunday of Advent is associated with a virtue, such as hope, peace, joy, and love. Here, we share a prayer to do with your family.

The annual liturgical calendar reminds us of the cycle of seasons— Advent, Christmas, Easter, Lent, and Ordinary time. This year, 2024, Advent begins on De. 1 and ends Dec. 24.