Advent Resources
Prepare your heart for the coming of Christ with these guides, prayers, and activities.
Advent Basics
What is Advent?
Advent, commencing the liturgical year and spanning the four Sundays and weekdays preceding Christmas, is a season of preparation, focusing on Christ’s second coming and the celebration of His birth.
Schedule of Advent 2025
Easily navigate the Advent season with guidance on the ever-changing Advent dates and post-Christmas Church calendar events amidst the holiday rush.
Downloadable and printable resources
Unlock a meaningful Advent season with these downloadable and printable Resources!
Liturgical Resources
Happy, Healthy & Holy Families | Advent & Christmas Guide for Prayer, Fun, & Faith at Home
Happy, Healthy & Holy Families is a guide from the Family Life Ministry of the Archdiocese of Newark to help families celebrate Advent and Christmas together.
2025 Cathedral Christmas Ornament
The 2025 Ornament showcases the Cathedral Basilica’s Coat of Arms from the west narthex wall, commemorating the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s visit on October 4, 1995, when the Cathedral was elevated to a minor basilica.
The Heart of the Ark
Join the Heart of the ARK podcast this Advent for inspiring episodes on hope, gratitude, and spiritual preparation with insightful guests and heartfelt discussions.
Advent Activity Guide for Families
This guide offers Advent prayers, reflections, and family activities to help you celebrate the season and share Christ’s love.
Advent 2025 | Weekly Reflections to Prepare for Christmas
Prepare for Advent with the Catholic Relief Services Advent Wreath guide. This resource offers prayers and reflections for all four weeks, helping you deepen your faith and embrace the season of hope.
25 Days of Ignatian Spiritual Gifts
This site reflects the Ignatian family’s commitment to sharing the gift of Ignatian spirituality. This Advent, we aim to renew and offer that gift, making space in our hearts for Christ’s arrival and spreading His love to the world.
Advent Reflections for Christmas at Home
Sign up for a free e-book and weekly Advent reflections by Catholic theologian John Shea. Explore the nativity story in a fresh way as you imagine the voices of creche characters and deepen your faith this Christmas season.
5 consejos para vivir el Adviento en familia
El Adviento es tiempo de espera y preparación para la Navidad, y con consejos prácticos, podemos vivirlo en familia y buscar juntos el crecimiento espiritual.
4 propósitos de Adviento: Perdonar, encontrar, servir y orar
Explora los cuatro propósitos clave de Adviento—Perdonar, Encontrar, Servir y Orar—en OCP.org. Estas prácticas nos ayudan a profundizar nuestra fe y preparar el corazón durante esta temporada de espera y esperanza.
Blue Christmas Service | A Time of Comfort and Hope
Join us for a reflective Blue Christmas service offering peace and support for those experiencing loss, loneliness, or hardship during the holiday season.
Devotionals and Reflections
Advent 2025 Booklets
Advent is a season of expectation and hope, inviting deeper connection with the Gospel, Christ, Mary, and our communities. These resources are designed to help parish leaders and active Catholics enrich and deepen their experience of this holy season.
Advent Resources for Small Group Faith Sharing and Grief Support
Explore Advent resources from Renew International for small group faith sharing and support for those grieving the loss of a loved one during the season.
The Word Became Flesh – Word on Fire Advent Reflections
A rich Advent experience with Scripture and diverse reflections from Catholic tradition, making it an ideal companion for parishes, families, and individuals seeking a profound encounter with Christ during the Advent and Christmas season.
Hope for the Holidays: Finding Light at the Darkest Times of the Year
This unique book, creatively drawing from A Christmas Carol’s spiritual journey, offers empathy and hope for those who may feel lost during the holiday season, challenging the assumption of universal holiday cheer.
Rejoice! An Advent Pilgrimage into the Heart of Scripture
Explore the Sunday Mass readings that ground us during the Advent season.
Come, Lord Jesus | Timeless Homilies for Advent and Christmas
Discover Bishop Barron’s Come, Lord Jesus: timeless Advent and Christmas homilies to inspire prayer, reflection, and joyful anticipation of Christ’s coming.
Prayer and Meditation Apps
Amen
Amen, the free Catholic app, provides beautiful prayers, faithful meditations, and enriching Scripture to help you find peace and connection with God during Advent.
Hallow
Discover Hallow, the American Catholic meditation and prayer app, offering audio-guided Bible stories, prayers, meditations, sleep experiences, and Christian music for a spiritually enriching Advent journey.
Family Resources
7 Advent Resources The Whole Family Will Love
Advent, a season for preparing hearts for Christ’s birth and growing in holiness, can be marred by holiday distractions, but with intentionality, families can make the most of this spiritual growth opportunity.
How to make a Jesse Tree
The Jesse Tree tradition helps families explore Jesus’ ancestry through Old Testament stories and symbols, allowing for a collective or individual creation of this ‘family tree’ as part of Advent traditions.
3D Nativity Coloring Kit
Celebrate the diverse traditions of Nativities around the world with our 3D Nativity Coloring Kit, a creative way to embrace the story of the Incarnation during Advent and Christmas in your home, classroom, or parish.
Start a New Christmas Eve Family Tradition
Celebrate the grandeur of Christmas, a season lasting from 16 to 22 days, by exploring over 21 traditions and practices, both Catholic and simply delightful, to fully embrace the mystery of Christ’s birth with your family.
Get Ready for Advent
Discover 8 practical tips on Teaching Catholic Kids for preparing your heart and home for Advent, with ideas for prayer, reflection, and family activities.
Small Group Resources
Advent Small Group Resources
These small group resources for Advent offer a meaningful way for individuals to come together and delve deeper into the season’s spiritual themes and reflections.
Free Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Resources
Explore free Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany resources—prayers, lessons, and activities to enrich faith at home, school, or parish.
Advent: The Lord is Near Year B
Prepare for Advent by participating in a small group that explores the Sunday gospel readings, reflects on the season’s meaning, and encourages contemplation of your relationship with God and others, with a focus on faith-driven action.
Supporting Outreach
Giving Tree
The PDF explains the purpose of a giving tree in the church, detailing its role in facilitating charitable contributions and support for those in need during the holiday season.