Wreaths are the centerpiece of a ritual popular with many Christian denominations. December is the month when the Northern Hemisphere grows dark, and throughout history people have sought the light ...

TURIN, Italy — An Italian priest named Father Charles Vachetta is credited with writing a novena in 1721 to inspire his parishioners during Advent. Today, that novena is known as the “Christmas Novena ...

Pope Francis waves during his Angelus in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Dec. 3. Advent is a time to be watchful and alert to the ways one strays from God’s path, but also to signs of his presence ...

When most people hear “penitential season,” they tend to imagine ashes on foreheads, solemn hymns and the intensity of abstinence and fasting. But when it comes to Advent, a season similarly steeped ...