At Mass on each of the Sundays we will have readings from the Old Testament, which show Jesus was the promised Messiah and the Son of God.  To mark each of the four Sundays of Advent a candle will be lit on a wreath and the last candle will be lit on Christmas Day itself.  The Advent Wreath is a custom that originated in Eastern Germany.  The circle of the wreath reminds us of God himself: his eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning and no end.  It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world and that we are supposed to reflect the light of God’s grace to others.

The wreath is usually made out of greenery such as holly or ivy.  Green is the Church’s colour of hope and new life.  There are usually five candles: three purple, one pink and one white.  The purple represent penance, sorrow and waiting, and the pink represents hope and joy.

These four candles are placed within the greenery to represent the four weeks of advent.








A white candle is placed in the centre of the wreath.  This centre candle is called the Christ candle and is lit at the vigil Mass on Christmas Eve.  The central location of the Christ candle reminds us that Christ has come into the world and that he is born on Christmas Day.