The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) presents Journey through Advent with the Most Rev. Bishop Jon Hansen, CSsR, Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith. Join us as we reflect on the Scriptures for the Sundays of Advent 2023.
The first Sunday is below, click here to go to the CCCB website for the rest of the Advent Video Series
A joint initiative of the National Liturgy Office, the Office national de liturgie and the Office for Evangelization and Catechesis.
First Sunday of Advent 2023
https://www.cccb.ca/evangelization-catechesis-catholic-education/video-resources/journey-through-advent/
2023 Family and Spiritual Advent Calendar: "Come Lord Jesus! show us your face." This beautiful calendar proposes a challenge each day to bring families together in anticipation of the beautiful Feast of the Birth of Jesus, from Sunday, December 3 to Sunday, December 24 engage together in expressions of loving gestures, listening, and working as a team to accomplish family tasks, being of service, celebrating, and say thank you to Jesus. Thank you to the Diocese of Montreal for sharing!
To print the PDF version of the Calendar in English, click here
To print the PDF version of the Calendar in French, click here
To print the PDF version of the Calendar in Spanish, click here
The Augustine Institute is excited to share Amen: the free Catholic app that provides meditations, Scripture, and other prayers to enrich your daily conversation with God.
The Catholic Sprouts Daily Podcast for Kids has one goal: to plant one seed of faith each and every day. The daily five-minute episodes are perfect for young listeners. Each episode discusses an important aspect of our Catholic Faith in a way that engages with children and ends with a daily challenge to help them apply what they learned. Catholic Sprouts has created many resources to help your family celebrate throughout the Advent season, including an Advent Colouring Book, an Advent Prayer Intention Booklet, an Explanation of the Jesse Tree, a Names of Jesus Advent Countdown, and more!
Holy Heroes Sunday Mass prep provides free videos, colouring pages, quizzes, and readings to help Catholic families to learn and have fun while preparing for Sunday Mass. The Holy Heroes: Advent Adventure is a fun, faithful, and free online activities for families who want to use Advent to prepare for Christmas. Kerri (founder of Holy Heroes) also shares 4 ways to help you and your family prepare an Advent Jesse Tree, including a link to free, printable Jesse Tree ornaments.
The Office of Ignatian Spirituality’s Ignatian Young Adult Ministries initiative is designed around four fundamental Ignatian principles: spirituality, community, leadership, and service. They invite young adults to deepen their faith through the practice of Ignatian spirituality and to live as women and men for and with others.
The Kids’ Bulletin is a free resource for Catholic families who would like to have some fun while learning about the readings from the Sunday Mass every week. They are made by a Canadian mom who is happy to share them with anyone who can use them to help learn or teach about the truth and beauty of the Faith.
Katie (of Look to Him and Be Radiant) shares ways to celebrate this month including a December Catholic Kids Book List, Advent resources for the home and classroom including a printable Advent wreath, a booklet of Advent traditions, an Advent YouTube playlist, and more!
Life Teen International: How to Advent - “Advent is a time set apart. The weeks leading up to Christmas Eve are meant to be a time of prayer and joyful anticipation! It’s a time to prepare our hearts for the coming of our sweet Jesus into this world as an infant, and He asks that we receive Him.”
The Office of Ignatian Spirituality’s Ignatian Young Adult Ministries initiative is designed around four fundamental Ignatian principles: spirituality, community, leadership, and service. They invite young adults to deepen their faith through the practice of Ignatian spirituality and to live as women and men for and with others.
The Kids’ Bulletin is a free resource for Catholic families who would like to have some fun while learning about the readings from the Sunday Mass every week. They are made by a Canadian mom who is happy to share them with anyone who can use them to help learn or teach about the truth and beauty of the Faith.
Katie (of Look to Him and Be Radiant) shares ways to celebrate this month including a December Catholic Kids Book List, Advent resources for the home and classroom including a printable Advent wreath, a booklet of Advent traditions, an Advent YouTube playlist, and more!
Life Teen International: How to Advent - “Advent is a time set apart. The weeks leading up to Christmas Eve are meant to be a time of prayer and joyful anticipation! It’s a time to prepare our hearts for the coming of our sweet Jesus into this world as an infant, and He asks that we receive Him.”
Wanderlight:™ A Pilgrim’s Adventure is an online game published by Loyola Press for Catholic kids. The game invites players to explore the four pillars of the Catholic Faith in an engaging and beautiful virtual world and venture out in their role as “the Pilgrim”—a faith-filled seeker on a quest to discover and experience core teachings of the faith while practicing how to “walk in the light” and live as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.
Ave Explores from Ave Maria Press offers free podcasts, videos, articles, and more aimed at exploring topics of the Catholic faith from a variety of different angles by taking an in-depth look at topics that are relevant to their daily spiritual life in a fresh, engaging, and practical way. Hosted by Katie Prejean McGrady, Ave Explores aims to nourish the faith of everyday Catholics in ways that make a difference in everyday life. Ave Spotlight is a free weekly Catholic podcast from Ave Maria Press about culture, current events, and all things Catholic. This Advent, you have a choice. Get caught up in the annual rush of shopping, decorating, and parties, or slow down and take a few minutes each day to remember who this season is really about—Jesus.
Join Ave Maria Press for their Adore Advent Prayer and Meditation program, an adventure unlike any other this Advent with author and speaker, Fr. John Burns. Each week, using the Adore Advent journal, Fr. John Burns will reflect on how he has prepared for the coming of Christ in his own life, and invite you to do the same. Fr. John will inspire you, touch your heart, and help you to grow closer to Jesus.
Or join Ave Maria Press for their Behold Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation program, let the Holy Family be your light through Advent as you receive the healing power of Christ. In this beautiful guided journal for prayer and meditation, Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT—author of the bestselling book Restore—will walk with you as you explore familial wounds with the help of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Each day you will journey deeper into the meaning of Advent with a meditation, reflection questions, a prayer, and journaling space.
Be a Heart: Free Christmas Gift Tag Download - Download these free Christmas gift tags, print and cut them out. Use tape to stick them on your gifts or punch a hole to tie them on with a ribbon.
The season of Advent begins this Sunday, November 27! Not sure what is Advent all about? How is Advent different from Christmas? In an updated version of their classic video, Busted Halo explains the significance of this special season in the Church and why the experience of waiting, hope, and preparation is still so important in our lives today. Click here to watch Busted Halo's Advent in 2 Minutes video. Visit Busted Halo’s Virtual Advent Calendar or join their 2023 InstaAdvent Photo Challenge for daily Advent inspiration.
Catholic Grandparents Association: The Catholic Grandparents Association is a global organization of the faithful. An integral part of the Catholic Grandparents Association is establishing and working with Grandparents ministries at the diocesan and parish levels. These act as prayer and support groups for Grandparents. Grandparents have a unique vocation that must be fostered and cherished in the spirit of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the Grandparents of Jesus and parents of Mary.
Join Ave Maria Press for their Adore Advent Prayer and Meditation program, an adventure unlike any other this Advent with author and speaker, Fr. John Burns. Each week, using the Adore Advent journal, Fr. John Burns will reflect on how he has prepared for the coming of Christ in his own life, and invite you to do the same. Fr. John will inspire you, touch your heart, and help you to grow closer to Jesus.
Or join Ave Maria Press for their Behold Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation program, let the Holy Family be your light through Advent as you receive the healing power of Christ. In this beautiful guided journal for prayer and meditation, Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT—author of the bestselling book Restore—will walk with you as you explore familial wounds with the help of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Each day you will journey deeper into the meaning of Advent with a meditation, reflection questions, a prayer, and journaling space.
Be a Heart: Free Christmas Gift Tag Download - Download these free Christmas gift tags, print and cut them out. Use tape to stick them on your gifts or punch a hole to tie them on with a ribbon.
The season of Advent begins this Sunday, November 27! Not sure what is Advent all about? How is Advent different from Christmas? In an updated version of their classic video, Busted Halo explains the significance of this special season in the Church and why the experience of waiting, hope, and preparation is still so important in our lives today. Click here to watch Busted Halo's Advent in 2 Minutes video. Visit Busted Halo’s Virtual Advent Calendar or join their 2023 InstaAdvent Photo Challenge for daily Advent inspiration.
Catholic Grandparents Association: The Catholic Grandparents Association is a global organization of the faithful. An integral part of the Catholic Grandparents Association is establishing and working with Grandparents ministries at the diocesan and parish levels. These act as prayer and support groups for Grandparents. Grandparents have a unique vocation that must be fostered and cherished in the spirit of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the Grandparents of Jesus and parents of Mary.
In this video from Catholic Central, Kai and Libby teach us about the Saints. They are “our great cloud of witnesses“, the saints in heaven, friends of God, and friends of us left here on earth. In “Saints“, we meet some of the very human people the Church has acknowledged as saintly, because of how they lived their lives, and because of the miracles God does when people pray for their intercession. As we enter into a new Liturgical Year following the Feast of Christ the King (November 20), spend some watching this video to learn about the Liturgical Year and the calendar that serves as a guide to navigating the Liturgical Seasons that help us grow closer to Christ.
The Catholic Talk Show: 8 Astounding Facts About Our Lady of Guadalupe - Celebrate the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12) by learning more about the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego.
Loyola Press: 3-Minute Retreat - The daily 3-minute retreat is a short prayer break at your computer that can give you 24 hours of peace. Loyola Press is also offering a free, online Advent Calendar for Adults. Following a traditional Advent calendar format, the experience invites you to slow down this season and discover the quiet moments of Advent hope. Authors and bloggers Vinita Hampton Wright, Joe Paprocki, Becky Eldredge, Marina Berzins McCoy, and others share resources to nurture your spirituality at this busy time of year.
Salt + Light Media: Advent Around the World - How do you celebrate Advent? Travel around the world with Salt + Light Media this Advent season and learn how Catholics from all cultures celebrate the coming of our Savior.
Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries' mission is to equip the Church to support mental health and wellbeing. Sanctuary provides all of its resources for free, and hope that they will be a blessing to you and your community. On the Sanctuary Mental Health Blog, you’ll find posts from theologians, mental health professionals, and people with lived experiences of mental health challenges. The aim is to create a platform that closes the silent space where shame and confusion have thrived and instead makes room to do the important work of thinking well about mental health, theologically.
Advent to Epiphany Journey "Silent Night to Star Bright!"
For active Households of Faith or those who want a Six Week Starter Set HoF to "try it out" we invite you to go to our Households of Faith Section or Click here for a PDF 8.5 x 11 full pages or Click here to print a booklet style 8.5 x 14 (choose flip on short side) which includes:
- A Simple Guide to Households of Faith
- Gospel readings from Advent to Epiphany
- Journal/Notes Pages
- Four Points to consider after completing the Six Week Starter Set
Arts & Faith: Advent
Prepare for Christmas and deepen your experience of the Advent season this year with Arts & Faith: Advent. Each week we’ll provide a video commentary about a work of art inspired by the Sunday Scriptures. Use these videos to take a new look at this season of hope and preparation through the lens of sacred art.
For your convenience, video transcripts are included. The commentary is by Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, assistant professor of liturgy, catechesis, and evangelization at Loyola University New Orleans. She holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in liturgy from St. John’s University in Collegeville, a master’s degree in religion and the arts from Yale Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in theology and education from Boston College. Her unique background in faith and art brings to life a new way of celebrating Advent and understanding the season on a more personal level.
Teachers and catechists: Use these videos and related activity suggestions in your faith formation classes.
Cycle B: Advent 2023
Cycle C: Advent 2024
Advent in Action Links
Catholic Missions of Canada advance and sustain the Catholic faith in Canada from sea to sea to sea through prayer, fundraising, awareness, and education.
Development and Peace is a movement that promotes international solidarity and supports partners in the Global South pursuing ways to grow and sustain people and communities that are challenged by unjust social, political, economical, and environmental situations. A focus is educating Canadians about the causes of these challenging structures and inviting them to get involved and move to action for change.
The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund was established to accept donations from 73 Catholic entities across the country and to advance healing and reconciliation initiatives.
Catechetics
