- Archbishop Martin: For Advent 2025 I encourage everyone to make some small sacrifice as a gesture of solidarity with the poor, the vulnerable and all those who are displaced from their homes and families.
This weekend heralds the begining of Advent 2025 – and a new Church year – with the First Sunday of Advent falling tomorrow, 30 November. Now in its twelfth year, the popular interactive digital Advent calendar is published by the Catholic Communications Office and offers a distinctive and spiritually enriching way to journey through this holy season. For each day of Advent, all are invited to click open the calendar’s doors on the homepage of www.catholicbishops.ie.
Welcoming the digital publication of this year’s calendar, Archbishop Eamon Martin said, “The four weeks of this year’s online Advent calendar will draw on the themes of love, joy, peace and hope. The video content, and short daily prayers, will be provided by the staff and friends of the Irish Bishops’ Conference’s secretariat in Maynooth, as well as Church’s safeguarding office, and the overseas development agency, Trócaire. The online calendar is designed to help prepare individuals, families and faith communities to reflect on the hope that Christ brings to the world.
“The period of Advent hosts big personalities such as John the Baptist, the prophet Isaiah and, of course, Mary Our Blessed Mother, who embraced God’s will completely and made a special place for God in her life. This season speaks loudly of hope, promise and peace and, of course, the message of conversion and preparation!”
“I thank all the contributors to the 2025 Advent calendar as we reach the end of this universal Jubilee Year themed, ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. I encourage everyone to make some small sacrifice as a gesture of solidarity with the poor, the vulnerable and all those who are displaced from their homes and families at this special time of the year. In that way we can prepare well for the celebration of the sacred moment when we mark the coming of Christ our Saviour, born for us on Christmas Day.”
Archbishop Eamon concluded, “During this season we also journey inwards to prepare in our hearts, as Mary did, for the light of Christ. Over the next four weeks, let us walk together with family, friends and community, so that everyone can experience the good news of this holy season, and in particular those less fortunate than ourselves.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors
- Archbishop Eamon Martin is Archbishop or Armagh, and Primate of All Ireland.
- Along with personal testimonies, the calendar’s digital content will include short videos and audio messages, 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: https://catholicbishops.ie/adventcalendar
- 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.