News - The Season of Advent RSS Feed

By Dan McQuillan, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent - WINDSOR, Maine — Thirteen miles east of Augusta, quietly nestled on a hill in Windsor, Maine sits Transfiguration Hermitage. Situated in a green expanse of woods and quiet streams and blueberry fields, the environment is the perfect backdrop for a community of Benedictine contemplative nuns. (PHOTO COURTESY OF TRANSFIGURATION HERMITAGE)

All are invited to the upcoming Advent Masses, held Dec. 4-24, at our Catholic Cemeteries, click for schedule of dates, times and locations. (Photo: Diocese of Providence)

Have you ever noticed the brilliance of the starlight on a clear night in that last hour or two before the dawn? I have strong memories from childhood, being out with my dad on the bay, clutching the thermos and wondering at the vast night. That last hour of night is a time of great stillness, deep quiet, and subtle beauty. Those memories come to my mind each year as we enter the season of Advent.

Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, marks the beginning of the Advent season, which lasts until Christmas Eve! The first Sunday of Advent is when the liturgical year begins and is a time when we prepare and celebrate in anticipation of the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. Before coming back to Catholicism, I had always understood that Christmas is when Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. However, I didn’t know much more.

Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent is the season leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The Advent season is a time of preparation... (Photo: RI Catholic)

Whether there for the Festival of lights, Holy Mass or music, Christmastime at National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette is sure to delight visitors of any age... (Photo: Laura Kilgus)

We begin our new weekly Advent video series for you from the Diocese of Providence. For the first Sunday of Advent, December 3, Deacon Lionel “Bud” Remillard, Assistant Director of the Office of Deacons for the Diocese of Providence, shares some thoughts on how we can begin to prepare for Christmas during Advent.

El 2 de diciembre empezaremos con la Novena a Nuestra Sra. de Guadalupe, donde el Sr. Obispo Richard Henning estará visitando distintas parroquias durante la Novena, las fechas están en el flyer adjunto. / On December 2, we will begin with the Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, where Bishop Richard G. Henning will be visiting nine different parishes in the Diocese of Providence during the Novena. Find all dates and locations below.

Saturday, December 2 beginning at 10:30 a.m. concluding with the 5 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence. The day features speakers Rev. Msgr. Anthony Mancini, Cathedral Rector, and Sister Elizabeth Castro, HMSP. Our theme will be: "The coming of Jesus at Christmas and the Mercy of God." Advance registration required. Click for more!

The year 2022 has been one for the ages in the Diocese of Providence. In January, the diocese began the second half of its sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, celebration, with many large-scale events planned to engage the faithful. On February 16, 150 years to the date that Pope Pius IX signed the papal bull which officially created the Diocese of Providence on Feb. 16, 1872, a copy of that Vatican document was placed on display at the cathedral. It would turn out to be a historic year in other ways also, including the naming of a coadjutor bishop in December to serve alongside Bishop Thomas J. Tobin as he prepares to submit his intention to retire when he turns 75 on April 1, as prescribed under canon law. At the same time, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Robert C. Evans, who submitted his letter of retirement in September, when he turned 75.

On Sunday, December 11, the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul held the annual Sounds of the Season concert to raise funds for the Diocese of Providence’s “Keep the Heat On” program.

St. Nicholas — Father Daniel Mahoney, associate pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Church — pays a special visit to the students at the parish school in East Greenwich on Dec. 6.

The diocesan celebration in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe took place on Monday, Dec. 12, at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, Providence...

Bishop Tobin is pleased to share once again this year his favorite column about Christmas.

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger.” (Lk 2:7) Those few words describe the most common of human events – the birth of a child...

From the Smallest State to the Little Town of Bethlehem! RI Catholic Executive Editor Rick Snizek visited Bethlehem, West Bank, on December 10, while attending a Media Summit of invited Christian journalists and professionals from around the world. Click for photos!

Lunes 12 de Diciembre Misa Solemne and Celebracion (Image: USCCB)

Our Eucharistic Advent Mission will be offered by Father David Mary Engo, a Franciscan friar and national preacher. This one-night mission will be offered at different parishes in the diocese each night; the same presentation will be offered each night during a Holy Hour. Click for more.

Advent is a time of preparation and reflection. Click to download USCCB’s Advent calendar for ways to learn and grow this season along with other Advent resources! (Image: USCCB)

Nov. 27 - Dec. 19 - click for dates, locations and times.