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Denver, Colo., Dec 22, 2023 / 07:00 am (CNA).
This year, the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Dec. 24 — Christmas Eve. The next day is Monday, Dec. 25 — the solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. That m… […]
On the Readings for Sunday, December 17, 2017, the Third Sunday of Advent […]
Readings: • Is 40:1-5, 9-11 • Ps 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14 • 2 Pt 3:8-14 • Mk 1:1-8 One of the great mysteries we experience constantly and live with every second—quite literally—is the mystery of time. We […]
A firefighter scales a long ladder to the top of a nearly 40-foot-high column to pay tribute at dawn to the Blessed Virgin with a wreath of flowers on Dec. 8, 2023. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Rome Newsroom, Dec 8, 2023 / 13:30 pm (CNA).
On the… […]
null / Credit: Josh Applegate/Unsplash
ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 5, 2023 / 18:00 pm (CNA).
Father Eduardo Hayen, an exorcist of the Mexican Diocese of Ciudad Juárez, offered a reflection for the first week of Advent, warning about the “vampires” th… […]
Advent candles. / Romolo Tavini/Shutterstock
CNA Newsroom, Dec 3, 2023 / 06:00 am (CNA).
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… […]
For Advent 2023, Blessed Is She created a devotional for women called "Found." / Credit: Blessed Is She
CNA Staff, Dec 2, 2023 / 08:00 am (CNA).
As we begin Advent and prepare for the birth of Christ in all the practical ways — gift b… […]
On the Readings for Sunday, December 3, 2017, the First Sunday of Advent […]
Christmas Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 24, 2022. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Rome Newsroom, Nov 28, 2023 / 09:03 am (CNA).
As the preparatory season of Advent draws near, the Vatican has published the schedule of Pope Francis’ liturgies for Christmas 2023 through the Jan. 7 feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Most of the liturgies will take place in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Following his custom in recent years, Pope Francis will preside over a Christmas Eve “Mass at Night” at 7:30 p.m. in the basilica.
On Christmas Day, he will deliver the traditional “urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”) blessing from the central balcony on the front of St. Peter’s Basilica. This blessing is given only on Christmas and Easter or on other exceptional occasions and includes the pope’s wishes for peace in the world.
For the vigil of the Jan. 1 solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the pope will preside over first vespers, also known as evening prayer. The prayer service will also include the singing of the “Te Deum,” a Latin hymn of thanksgiving from the early Church.
This year, Dec. 31 will also mark the first anniversary of the death of Pope Benedict XVI at the age of 95.
On Jan. 1, 2024, Pope Francis will preside over a Mass at 10 a.m. for the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The first day of the year is also commemorated as the World Day of Peace.
For the solemnity of Epiphany, which is observed in Italy and the Vatican on Jan. 6, Francis will again preside at a Mass at 10 a.m.
And on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Jan. 7, Pope Francis will preside at a Mass in the Sistine Chapel, where he will also baptize the babies of several Vatican employees.
Among other pre-Christmas festivities, the Vatican will also unveil its Nativity scene and light its Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 9, one day after the Dec. 8 solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, when Pope Francis will mark the feast day by honoring the Virgin Mary with a prayer near the Spanish Steps.
Readings: • Isa 7:10-14 • Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 • Rom 1:1-7 • Mt 1:18-24 “Looking on thee, O Unwedded One, and dreading a hidden wedlock, O Sinless One, the chaste Joseph was riven in […]
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