Liturgical Calendar

The Liturgical Calendar
Through the year, the Church

recalls and celebrates
important dates in the life
events of Jesus.
These dates are recorded in
the liturgical calendar.
Just as a typical calendar (Gregorian) has
twelve months, fifty-two weeks, and 365
days that include holidays, solemn days,
commemorative days, and days that are
just "average," the Liturgical Year
Calendar of the Church uses similar terms
and measurements.
The Liturgical Year is marked
by special seasons: Advent,
Christmas, Lent, The Paschal
Triduum or Three Days,
Easter, and Ordinary Time.
The Liturgical Year begins on the
first Sunday of Advent, which
usually occurs around the
beginning of December or the end
of November, and ends on the
feast of Christ the King.
The Liturgical Year is marked
by special seasons:
Adven
t
Christm
as
Lent
Easte
r
Ordinary
Time
The purpose of the Liturgical Year
Calendar is not to mark the
passage of time, but to celebrate
and understand more fully the
entire mystery of Jesus Christ, from
his incarnation and birth until his
ascension, the day of Pentecost,
and the expectation of his return in
glory.
The liturgical year
begins with
Advent which
always contains
four Sundays.
represents penance,
preparation and sacrifice
A common devotional
for this season of
preparation is the
Advent Wreath that
includes four candles.
A new candle is lit on

each of the four
Sundays of Advent.
Candle symbolizes
The first hope - "Prophet’s Candle." The prophets
of the O.T., especially Isaiah, waited in hope for
the Messiah’s arrival
The second -faith "Bethlehem’s Candle." Micah
had foretold that the Messiah would be born in
Bethlehem, which is also the birthplace of King
David.
The Third - joy "Shepherd’s Candle." To the
shepherd’s great joy, the angels announced that
Jesus came for humble, unimportant people like
them, too. In liturgy, the color rose signifies joy.
The fourth - peace "Angel’s Candle." The angels
announced that Jesus came to bring peace--He
came to bring people close to God and to each
this is one in a series of presentations for Information
Christmas decorations which
appear in the church during
Advent are in preparation for
the coming of the Christ child.
Advent is a time for
preparation, anticipation and
hope.
“Prepare ye,
the way of the
Lord”
Christmas (White)
The Christmas season, during which we

celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, includes
the Feast of the Holy Family, the Feast of
the Mother of God and Epiphany.
The word
"ordinary" in
Ordinary Time
comes from
GREEN = Symbolizes the the word
hope and life of each new ordinal.
day
“Counted
Time”
Ordinary
Time is
divide into
Ordinary Time Ordinary Time
part I twopartBegins
II after
Begins after Pentecost
Christmas Season Sunday and
(Baptism of Christ) ends on Christ
and ends before the King
Ash Wednesday.
The occurrence of Easter determines the
length of this counted time. Easter falls on
the 1st Sunday after the first full moon after
the spring equinox. (when the tilt of the
Earth's axis is inclined neither away from
nor towards the Sun, the centre of the Sun
being in the same plane as the Earth's
equator.) The timing falls between March 22
and April 25.
Equinox,
occurs just twice a year
The word equinox comes from
Latin and means “equality of night
and day.”
So, the equinox occurs at two
specific moments in time when the
sun is exactly above the equator
In the northern hemisphere, the spring, or vernal
equinox happens around March 21, when the sun moves
north across the celestial equator. The autumnal equinox
occurs around September 22nd, when the sun crosses the
celestial equator going south.
The Sundays and weeks
of Ordinary Time are
days of growth and
harvest -- days of hope
and time to mature in
one's faith.
Green is the color of on-going life
in nature: the renewal of spring
grass, flowers, and trees. Green
signifies hope and growth. The
green weeks, 1 to 34, provide time
to be refreshed with the Sunday
Scriptures, sequentially following
the life and works of Jesus in his
public ministry. ongoing
Lent is a time of
penance observed with
fasting and abstinence.
A common devotion for
Lent is praying the
Stations of the Cross.
This time is a time of penance and self-
denial as well as a time to go the extra
mile.
Lent is a 40 day fast

and penance period in
the Catholic Church.
SH WEDNESDAY (The Beginning of Lent)
The mark of ashes, a symbol of

repentance, is given to
Christians to indicate the start
of the penitential season of
Lent.
Ashes are etched in the sign of the cross on the
foreheads of Catholic around the world on Ash
Wednesday, symbolizing the beginning of the 40
days of fasting and penance in preparation for
Paschal Triduum (Red/Violet/White)
The Paschal Triduum is a separate

season during what is often called “Holy
Week”.
This three-day observance begins on the
evening of Holy Thursday with the Mass of
the Lord’s Supper and ends on Saturday
evening with the Easter Vigil. The
ceremonies of this special season
celebrate the death and resurrection of
Jesus.
What is the Sacred Paschal Triduum?
The Sacred Paschal Triduum is the three most
solemn days of the liturgical year; Holy Thursday,
Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. These most
holy days celebrate the Paschal Mystery, first,
the passion, suffering, and death of the Lord
Jesus, followed by his resurrection, the triumph of
the holy cross, and Christ’s decisive victory over
sin and death.
The summit of the Liturgical Year is the
Sacred Paschal Triduum. Though
chronologically three days, they are
liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity
of Christ's Paschal Mystery. The Paschal
Mystery is Christ's work of redemption
accomplished principally by His Passion,
death, and Resurrection. The single
celebration of the Triduum marks the end of
the Lenten season and leads to the Mass of
Seasons of the Church: Seasons of
the Heart…
ADVENT: The Experience of Desire
CHRISTMAS: The Experience of Discovery
LENT: The Experience of Rescue

EASTER: The Experience of Transformation
ORDINARY TIME: The Experience of Journey

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The Liturgical Calendar

Through the year, the Church

A new candle is lit on

The Christmas season, during which we

Lent is a 40 day fast

The mark of ashes, a symbol of

The Paschal Triduum is a separate

CHRISTMAS: The Experience of Discovery

LENT: The Experience of Rescue

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