Church year at a glance
The rhythm of our faith throughout the year.
The Church Year draws us into the life of Christ: his coming, his life, his death and resurrection, and his sending of the Spirit.
Why do Catholics use a liturgical calendar? It puts the whole Church on the same page, so we celebrate and worship God in unison as one body. And on a personal level, it gives the year a shape: a rhythm of waiting and feasting, repenting and rejoicing, that orders our lives toward God.
The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fount from which all the Church's power flows. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #10
What is liturgy?
Liturgy means the official worship of the Church: the Mass, the sacraments, the rites, the prayers, and the ceremonies through which the Church worships God together. Private devotions matter too, but liturgy is the public prayer of Christ's Body.
The reason for the seasons
The liturgical calendar lets the Church in Vernon worship in communion with the whole Church. It also gives a household rhythm to the year: Advent teaches waiting, Christmas teaches wonder, Lent teaches repentance, Easter teaches joy, and Ordinary Time teaches faithful daily growth.
The liturgical year
Each liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent, in late November or early December, and is made up of six seasons.
Advent
Advent comes from the Latin word for coming. For four weeks we prepare in joyful hope for the birth of Jesus: and for his return. The colour of the season is violet.
Christmas
At Christmas we remember the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem: the Son of God born in a stable, come for all people, shepherds and wise men alike. The season runs from Christmas Eve through the Baptism of the Lord in January. The colour is white.
Lent
Lent is forty days of reflection, repentance, and prayer, preparing our hearts for Easter: echoing the forty days Jesus fasted in the desert. It begins on Ash Wednesday, when we receive a cross of ashes as a sign of our mortality and our intention to turn back to God. The colour is violet.
The Sacred Paschal Triduum
The holiest three days of the year: the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, the Good Friday of the Lord's Passion, and the Easter Vigil after nightfall on Holy Saturday. Though chronologically three days, the liturgy counts them as one: a single unfolding of Christ's death and resurrection.
Holy Thursday remembers the Last Supper, when Jesus gave the Church the Eucharist and washed the feet of his disciples. Good Friday holds the Passion and Crucifixion of the Lord. The Easter Vigil, celebrated after nightfall, begins in darkness and moves into the first light of the Resurrection.
Easter
Fifty days of celebrating the Resurrection: the fulfilment of God's promise that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. The season runs from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. The colour is white, and the church rings with Alleluia.
Ordinary Time
The longest season: the green weeks of the year: walks us Sunday by Sunday through the life and teaching of Jesus. 'Ordinary' here means ordered, counted: not plain. It ends with the feast of Christ the King, when the whole story is gathered up: the crucified Jesus shown to be King and Saviour of all.
How this affects parish life
The seasons shape our music, vestments, environment, parish events, and sometimes the weekly schedule. Around Advent, Lent, Holy Week, Christmas, and Easter, check the bulletin and Mass times page for extra liturgies, reconciliation services, and changes to regular hours.