Preparing to Pray Around Your Advent Wreath

Join Lisa Hendey for a weekly series designed to prepare you to celebrate Advent this year.

I invite you to join me for a moment of daily prayer around the Advent wreath beginning on Sunday, November 27 at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT. I’ll be live on my Facebook profile and sharing the video each day at Youtube and Instagram as well. We’ll be praying with my new Advent devotional 5 Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath. Be sure to download my FREE companion resources (Praying with the Saints and Advent Reflections for Families with Children) at Ave Maria Press. I can’t wait to pray with you this Advent season! 

It may seem odd to be talking about Advent when we haven’t even celebrated Halloween yet. But if you look at the liturgical calendar, we are only weeks away from the beginning of our new Church year. I’ve found that Advent has a way of sneaking up on me, especially when it begins on Thanksgiving weekend as it does this year. The great news is that with just a few easy preparations, we can be ready to fully embrace this beautiful season together.

Here are a few steps to take now so that you’re ready on November 27:

Locate or choose your “Advent wreath.”

Please remember that while a traditional Advent wreath involves a simple circle of evergreen and four candles (three violet and one rose), this can be adapted to meet your individual needs and tastes. Families with young children may want to elect for a “no burn” solution with LED candles or even handcrafted paper “candles.” Some lovely Advent wreaths incorporate the nativity scene.

The most important thing is to create a special sacred place that will be a focal point for your prayer. This year, I will be traveling during Advent. So, I am planning a “mobile” wreath with small votive candles that I can easily take on the road with me.

Choose a devotional tool.

I’d like to personally invite you to use my tool, 5 Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath. But the terrific gift of Advent is that there are many beautiful devotional tools, and most are relatively inexpensive. Some parishes and schools even distribute booklets that enable communities to come together for communal prayer around a single resource. If you will be praying with children, plan ahead for a tool that meets them at an age-appropriate level, or simply enjoy your wreath time as a precursor to evening grace before meals or bedtime prayer.

Plan your sacred time.

I find that I often do best with seasonal prayers during Advent and Lent when I create a habit or routine for myself. This year, I’m very excited about my plan to share that time with you each afternoon at 2 pm! I hope we will be able to create a true community with one another using the digital tools at our disposal.

Whether you’re praying around your wreath alone or with others, consider now what time of day might best suit your routine and commitments. While interruptions will most definitely occur, let’s try to commit to a sacred appointment as we prepare our hearts to fully celebrate the Nativity of the Christ Child at Christmas.

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How do you prepare your heart and home to celebrate the Advent season? #catholicmom

That’s it! Advent is a time of profound grace that doesn’t involve the need to decorate or spend money. I can’t wait to spend the season with you and hope that over the weeks ahead you’ll come to anticipate the season with great joy and longing.

A question for you: How do you prepare your heart and home to celebrate the Advent season?

Copyright 2022 Lisa M. Hendey
Images: Ave Maria Press
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