- Bishop Monahan: I invite individuals and families to use our digital Advent calendar resources for daily prayer and in parish activities.
To coincide with the first day of Advent, tomorrow Sunday 1 December, Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe, the delegate of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference for the universal Church’s Jubilee Year 2025, has launched the annual digital Advent calendar on the theme of ‘Hope’. For each day of Advent all are invited to open the calendar’s doors on the homepage of www.catholicbishops.ie.
Advent also marks the beginning of the new calendar year for Christians. The digital Advent calendar offers a distinctive and spiritually enriching way to journey through this holy season. Based on the Jubilee Year’s theme of #Hope, the 2024 calendar offers prayers and resources designed to guide individuals, families and faith communities to reflect on the hope that Christ brings to the world, while also preparing for the upcoming Holy Jubilee Year in 2025.
Launching the 2024 digital calendar, Bishop Monahan said, “As we enter this season to prepare for the second coming of Christ, we note the major themes of Advent: waiting and preparation, darkness and light, and the promise of comfort and hope. I encourage all to avail of our online Advent calendar and make prayerful space for God in our lives, each day, over the next four weeks. I respectfully invite individuals and families to use the calendar as part of their daily prayer routine and to incorporate it into parish activities.
“Sadly, in 2024, we journey through Advent against a troubling backdrop of war, violence, and family displacement in many parts of the world. From the devastation in Ukraine to the ongoing strife in the Holy Land, our hearts are heavy with the pain of our brothers and sisters who are enduring unimaginable hardship due to conflict and climate change. Yet, it is precisely in these times of darkness that the light of Christ shines most brightly.
“The theme of this year’s Advent Calendar is Hope reminding us that Christian hope is not a passive feeling, but a powerful force that calls us to action, compassion, and solidarity. In the midst of suffering and despair, we are called to renew our trust in God’s promises, to pray for peace, and to reach out with love to those who are experiencing misery.”
“For Advent 2024 let us reflect on the hope that Christ’s coming brings in terms of healing and reconciliation in our broken world. I thank all of the contributors to our digital calendar as they support our spiritual preparations for Christmas, and our Christian roles as instruments of peace in parishes and in the world,” Bishop Monahan concluded.
2024 marks the eleventh year of this popular seasonal resource that has established a unique presence on the web. As viewers open a digital door each day of Advent, they will experience brief personal video reflections relating to the Advent season delivered by lay women and men, young people and clergy. These reflections and resources include prayers and scripture passages that encourage contemplation and action throughout the Advent season.
ENDS
- Bishop Fintan Monahan is Bishop of Killaloe and the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference delegate for Jubilee Year 2025
Digital Advent Calendar
- Along with personal testimonies, the calendar’s digital content will include short videos and audio messages and prayers to assist keeping Christ at the centre of our Christmas preparations. All are welcome to participate and enjoy the contents of the Advent Calendar by clicking on the homepage of www.catholicbishops.ie
- What is Advent? Advent (from, ad-venire in Latin or “to come to”) is the season of spiritual preparation consisting of the four weeks leading up to the celebration of Christmas. This is a prayerful time for renewing our experience of waiting and longing for the Lord. It is a time of preparation that directs the heart and mind to Christ’s second coming, and to the upcoming celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord at Christmas. Similar to Lent, the liturgical colour for Advent is purple since both are seasons that prepare us for great feast days. Advent also includes an element of penance in the sense of reflecting and preparing our hearts for the full joy of Christmas
Countdown to Jubilee Year 2025
- A countdown timer is now available on www.catholicbishops.ie as the universal Catholic Church prepares for the Jubilee Year in 2025. Similarly, our 2024 Advent Calendar serves as a spiritual countdown to the Holy Year, a time of renewal, reflection, and reconciliation. This Holy Year, that has been proclaimed by Pope Francis, will be an opportunity for the Church to unite in prayer and rediscover the joy of the Gospel message. The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference is inviting the faithful to begin their journey of preparation for Jubilee 2025 during Advent 2024 by embracing the call to deepen their faith, renew their hope, and anticipate the healing grace of the Jubilee.