- During Advent, we switch to Mass of Christ the Savior
- No Gloria with the exception of the Solemnities
- No Song of Praise for silent Meditation on the Advent Season
- Keyboards start playing the Hymns that the Congregation will sing during Mass at least 15 minutes before Mass to set the Advent tone and to quiet the Congregation.
- Adult Cantor 4pm or Adult Mentor 10am will go to the Ambo and sing the Antiphon (Refrain) before Mass to engage the Congregation and encourage participation. The Youth Psalmist will join Mentor beginning at the 4pm Christmas Eve (4 weeks to observe)
- Beginning January 17, 2027, Psalms will be sung at Ambo.
Advent is not a countdown to Christmas, and it is not Lent either. The Church calls it a season of “devout and joyful expectation” — a time of waiting that looks in two directions at once.
The first half of Advent, until 16 December, looks forward to Christ’s coming in glory at the end of time. The readings are about watchfulness, about being ready, about the world being put right. Only from 17 December does the season turn towards Bethlehem and the birth we are preparing to celebrate.
That is why the mood of Advent is quieter than Christmas but not penitential in the way Lent is. Violet vestments are worn, the Gloria is omitted at Mass (EXCEPT Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary), the note struck throughout is hope rather than sorrow.
The four Sundays of Advent 2026
| Sunday | Date | Wreath candle | Traditional theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Sunday of Advent | Sunday 29 November 2026 | Violet | Hope — the coming of Christ in glory |
| Second Sunday of Advent | Sunday 6 December 2026 | Violet | Repentance — the preaching of John the Baptist |
| Third Sunday — Gaudete | Sunday 13 December 2026 | Rose | Joy — “Rejoice in the Lord always” |
| Fourth Sunday of Advent | Sunday 20 December 2026 | Violet | Love — the Annunciation and Mary’s yes |
Other key dates in Advent 2026
- Tuesday 8 December — the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A holy day of obligation in the United States and several other countries; check your own diocese.
- Saturday 12 December — Our Lady of Guadalupe, a feast in the Americas.
- Sunday 13 December — Gaudete Sunday. Rose vestments, and the one day in Advent when flowers return to the altar.
- Thursday 17 to Wednesday 23 December — the O Antiphons, the ancient titles of Christ sung at Vespers: O Wisdom, O Adonai, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Dayspring, O King of the Nations, O Emmanuel.
- Thursday 24 December — Christmas Eve. Advent ends with the evening Mass.
- Friday 25 December — the Nativity of the Lord. A holy day of obligation everywhere.
- 2027 Liturgical Calendar
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