The four Sunday collects of Advent, from the traditional Roman Missal

Advent Wreath Prayers — one for each Sunday

Lighting the candles at home with the Church’s ancient Advent prayers

LatinEnglish

Initium℣. Adiutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
℟. Qui fecit caelum et terram.

To begin (every day)℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
℟. Who made heaven and earth.

Dominica I AdventusExcita, quaesumus, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni:
ut ab imminentibus peccatorum nostrorum periculis,
te mereamur protegente eripi,
te liberante salvari.
Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus,
per omnia saecula saeculorum.
℟. Amen.

First Sunday of Advent: light one purple candleStir up thy power, we beseech thee, O Lord, and come:
that from the threatening dangers of our sins
we may deserve to be rescued by thy protection,
and saved by thy deliverance.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God,
world without end.
℟. Amen.

Dominica II AdventusExcita, Domine, corda nostra
ad praeparandas Unigeniti tui vias:
ut per eius adventum
purificatis tibi mentibus servire mereamur.
Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus,
per omnia saecula saeculorum.
℟. Amen.

Second Sunday: light two purple candlesStir up our hearts, O Lord,
to make ready the ways of thine only-begotten Son:
that through his coming
we may deserve to serve thee with purified minds.
Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God,
world without end.
℟. Amen.

Dominica III Adventus (Gaudete)Aurem tuam, quaesumus, Domine, precibus nostris accommoda:
et mentis nostrae tenebras
gratia tuae visitationis illustra.
Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus,
per omnia saecula saeculorum.
℟. Amen.

Third Sunday (Gaudete): two purple candles and the rose oneIncline thine ear, we beseech thee, O Lord, to our prayers,
and enlighten the darkness of our minds
by the grace of thy visitation.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God,
world without end.
℟. Amen.

Dominica IV AdventusExcita, quaesumus, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni:
et magna nobis virtute succurre;
ut per auxilium gratiae tuae,
quod nostra peccata praepediunt,
indulgentia tuae propitiationis acceleret.
Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus,
per omnia saecula saeculorum.
℟. Amen.

Fourth Sunday: light all four candlesStir up thy power, we beseech thee, O Lord, and come,
and succour us with thy great might,
that by the help of thy grace
thy merciful forgiveness may hasten
what our sins impede.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God,
world without end.
℟. Amen.

Conclusio℣. Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant iustum.
℟. Aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.

To end℣. Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One.
℟. Let the earth be opened, and bud forth a Saviour.

SourceThe four Sunday collects of Advent, from the traditional Roman Missal · Lighting the candles at home with the Church’s ancient Advent prayers

The history of this prayer

The Advent wreath is a recent custom, and it is worth saying honestly: it does not come from the early Church or from the Roman liturgy. It began in 1839 in Hamburg, Germany, at the Rauhes Haus, a home for poor boys run by the Lutheran pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern. The story goes that the children kept asking how long it was until Christmas, so he hung up a large wooden wheel with a candle for each day until Christmas. Evergreen branches were added around 1860 and, in homes, the simple form with four candles, one for each Sunday. In the twentieth century the custom entered Catholic homes and churches, first in Germany, and from there spread throughout the world.

None of this takes away its worth. The Church welcomed the wreath because it teaches Advent well: the light grows from Sunday to Sunday as we wait for Christ, the light of the world. The green speaks of hope and life; the circle, without beginning or end, recalls the eternity of God. Before the first Sunday, a priest may bless the wreath.

The candles

A very common Catholic use is three purple candles and one rose. On the first Sunday one is lit; on the second, two; on the third, Gaudete Sunday (“Rejoice”), three, including the rose candle, the colour of joy because Christmas is near; on the fourth, all four. Many families light the candles every evening of the week, at dinner or family prayer, saying the prayer of that Sunday. Some add a white candle in the centre for Christmas.

The prayers

There is no single official prayer for lighting the candles. Here are the collects, the opening prayers of the Mass, of each Sunday of Advent in the traditional Roman Missal, ancient and very beautiful. Three of them begin with “Excita”, “Stir up”: they ask God to stir up his power and come, or to stir up our hearts. To close, the verse of Isaiah that the Church repeats throughout Advent: “Drop down dew, ye heavens”.

The English is our own translation from the Latin.

Frequently asked questions

What prayer is said when lighting the Advent wreath?

There is no single official prayer. A good choice is the collect of the Mass of that Sunday of Advent, like the four above from the traditional Roman Missal.

Which candle is lit on which Sunday?

First Sunday: one purple candle; second: two purple; third (Gaudete): two purple and the rose; fourth: all four. Each Sunday adds one candle to those already lit.

Is the Advent wreath Catholic?

It began among Lutherans in Hamburg in 1839, but Catholics took it up in the twentieth century, and today it is used in Catholic churches and homes all over the world. A priest may bless it.

More prayers: Advent and Christmas

← All the traditional prayers · Prayers and novenas