In this Advent reflection of the first line of the Hail Mary, discover how Mary helps us to consider our place in salvation history, and how meditating upon Mary's role in the birth of Our Lord also encourages us to meditate upon the fulfilment of the Kingdom.
As Advent begins and you put your Advent wreath in pride of place in your home, gather your household together to pray this blessing.
Help your child prepare for Christmas with these child-friendly instructions for making an Advent wreath.
Discover how to use Advent as a time for preparation for Christmas by unpacking Catholic customs, their origins and their significance. What does the Advent wreath symbolise? Who invented the Christmas crib? What are the Catholic origins of the Christmas tree? Learn these fascinating facts and more in this blog.
What makes a Christmas tree a Christmas tree? Traditionally, Christmas trees are decorated with glass baubles of all different colours, and candles or chains of lights. Why not make your own decorations this year? Discover this fun activity for children!
St Andrew Dũng-Lạc (1795-1839) was a Vietnamese diocesan priest who was beheaded at Hanoi in 1839, one of 117 Vietnamese martyrs. Another was St Théophane Vénard, a member of the Paris Society of the Foreign Missions, who was beheaded in 1861 and exercised a strong influence on St Thérèse of Lisieux.
