LITURGICAL YEAR
The calendar for our Catholic church is the way we keep track of the different seasons (time periods) of our Church. This is called the Liturgical Year.
ADVENT CHRISTMAS ORDINARY TIME LENT EASTER ORDINARY TIME
The beginning of a new Liturgical Year is called Advent.
Advent starts 4 Sundays before Christmas and is the time we should be preparing ourselves for the coming of our Lord.
This year, Advent starts on Sunday, December 1.
During Advent, you will see the priests wearing purple during Mass because purple is the color of preparation.
Christmas Season begins on Christmas day and lasts through the Feast of the Epiphany (celebration of when the 3 Kings came to worship Jesus). The Christmas Season officially ends on the Monday after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (which is the Sunday after Epiphany).
During the Christmas Season, priests wear white, which signifies Joy. They might also wear purple again, which in addition to signifying preparation, also signifies Royalty!
After Epiphany Sunday, the Christmas Season ends and we enter into Ordinary Time. During Ordinary Time, the priests wear green at Mass. Sometimes, the priests wear red (if it is a day to remember a Martyr of theFaith) or white (if it is a very special Feast Day).. Ordinary Time lasts until Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent.
Lent lasts about 6 weeks (40 days) and is our time to prepare ourselves for Easter (when Jesus rose from the dead). During Lent, you will see the priests wearing purple again, because purple is also the color that signifies passion. (Purple sure signifies a lot of things!)
Lent Ends at Easter. The Colors worn on Easter are white and gold. White symbolizes the purity and newness that comes from the victory over sin and death. Gold symbolizes 2 things.....the light brought to the world by the Risen Christ and the Kingship of Jesus. Beginning on Easter Sunday, we remain in the Easter Season through Pentecost Sunday (also about 6 weeks or 40 days). Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles as they gathered in an upper room to await God's Spirit.
After Pentecost, we begin another season of Ordinary Time which will last through the Fall and end the Liturgical Year.
4 weeks before Christmas, a new Liturgical year again begins with the start of a new Advent Season. Then the Liturgical Year starts all over again!
ADVENT CHRISTMAS ORDINARY TIME LENT EASTER ORDINARY TIME