Advent wreath prayers for each week

How to bless an Advent wreath at home, which candles to light each week of Advent 2026, and the ancient Sunday prayer to say as you light them — in Latin, with our English translation.

Blessing the wreath at home

On the eve of the First Sunday (Saturday, November 28, 2026) or before the first meal of Advent, gather around the wreath. A parent begins with the Sign of the Cross and reads Isaiah 9:2, then says this blessing. (A priest or deacon may bless the wreath with the Church's own rite; this is a simple household form.)

Isaiah 9:2 (WEB)The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The light has shined on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death.

Lord God, your Church waits in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior.
Bless ✠ this wreath, and all of us who gather around it.
As we light its candles week by week,
kindle in our hearts a longing for Christ, the Light of the world,
who comes to save us, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Then light the first candle.

The four weeks

Each week's prayer is the collect of that Sunday's Mass in the old Roman Missal — among the oldest prayers of the season. Three of the four begin Excita, “stir up.”

First week · from Sunday, November 29, 2026

Light the first purple candle — often called the candle of hope, or of the prophets.

LatinExcita, quaesumus, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni: ut ab imminentibus peccatorum nostrorum periculis, te mereamur protegente eripi, te liberante salvari. Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Collect of the First Sunday of Advent — our translationStir up your power, we pray, O Lord, and come, that by your protection we may be rescued from the dangers that threaten us because of our sins, and by your deliverance be saved. Who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Second week · from Sunday, December 6, 2026

Light a second purple candle — peace, or Bethlehem.

LatinExcita, Domine, corda nostra ad praeparandas Unigeniti tui vias: ut per eius adventum purificatis tibi mentibus servire mereamur. Qui tecum vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Collect of the Second Sunday of Advent — our translationStir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of your only-begotten Son, that through his coming we may serve you with minds made pure. Who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.

Third week · from Sunday, December 13, 2026

Light the rose candle — joy, for Gaudete Sunday.

LatinAurem tuam, quaesumus, Domine, precibus nostris accommoda: et mentis nostrae tenebras gratia tuae visitationis illustra. Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Collect of the Third Sunday of Advent — our translationIncline your ear to our prayers, we beg you, O Lord, and lighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of your coming. Who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Fourth week · from Sunday, December 20, 2026

Light the last purple candle — love, or the angels.

LatinExcita, 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 in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Collect of the Fourth Sunday of Advent — our translationStir up your power, we pray, O Lord, and come, and help us with your great strength, so that what our sins hold back, the help of your grace and your merciful forgiveness may hasten. Who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

A verse to sing

After the prayer, many families sing a verse of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1861):

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

From December 17, sing the verse that matches that evening's O Antiphon.

Advent wreath questions

Why is one Advent candle pink?

The rose candle is lit on the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday — gaudete means “rejoice.” It matches the rose vestments the priest may wear that day, a sign that Christmas is near.

What order do you light the Advent candles?

One purple candle the first week, two purple the second, two purple and the rose the third, and all four the fourth. Each week's candles are relit every evening until the next Sunday.

Does an Advent wreath have to be blessed by a priest?

No. A priest or deacon may bless it with the Church's rite, but a family may also pray a simple blessing at home, led by a parent, as on this page.

Where does the Advent wreath come from?

From nineteenth-century Germany: in 1839 the Lutheran pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern hung candles on a cartwheel to count down to Christmas for the children of his mission school. The four-candle evergreen wreath spread from there, and Catholic families took it up widely in the twentieth century.

Advent Watch in the app: one small practice a day, from the First Sunday of Advent to Christmas morning.