Advent
Wednesday, December 9, 2026
On Wednesday, December 9, 2026, the Catholic Church is in Advent and the liturgical color is purple. The Church celebrates St Juan Diego.
Liturgical color: Purple
Day 11 of Advent this year, with 15 days to go.
Gustave Doré · Heliodorus Is Cast Down · 1866 · public domain
Saint of the day
Optional
St Juan Diego
(1474–1548) Indigenous Aztec convert. In December 1531 the Virgin Mary appeared to him on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe imprinted on his tilma hangs in the basilica there.
Saint Juan Diego, beggar with roses, remind us that God uses the small and unseen.
This season
- Advent 2026: the day-by-day calendarA reflection prompt for every day to Christmas, the wreath, the O Antiphons
- St Andrew Christmas Novena — day 10 of 25The prayer, fifteen times today
- Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec 12The story, the novena, the customs
- Novenas being prayed todayNovena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, St Andrew Christmas Novena
About Advent
Advent is the Church's four-week preparation for Christmas, beginning on the fourth Sunday before 25 December. It looks two ways at once: back to the Incarnation, and forward to Christ's return. The mood is watchful rather than penitential — the Gloria is omitted at Mass, but the Alleluia stays.
Why purple?
Purple is worn in Advent and Lent, and at funerals: preparation, penance, and mourning.
Verse of the day
Zeph 3:14
Read it in context — the whole Catholic Bible is in the app, offline and free.
Frequently asked
What liturgical color is worn on December 9, 2026?
Purple, the color of Advent. Purple is worn in Advent and Lent, and at funerals: preparation, penance, and mourning.
What liturgical season is December 9, 2026 in?
Advent. Advent is the Church's four-week preparation for Christmas, beginning on the fourth Sunday before 25 December. It looks two ways at once: back to the Incarnation, and forward to Christ's return. The mood is watchful rather than penitential — the Gloria is omitted at Mass, but the Alleluia stays.
Is December 9, 2026 a holy day of obligation in the United States?
No. In the United States the holy days of obligation are Mary, Mother of God (1 January), the Assumption (15 August), All Saints (1 November), the Immaculate Conception (8 December), and Christmas (25 December); the Ascension is observed on a Thursday or the following Sunday depending on the diocese.
Which saint is celebrated on December 9, 2026?
St Juan Diego. (1474–1548) Indigenous Aztec convert. In December 1531 the Virgin Mary appeared to him on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe imprinted on his tilma hangs in…
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- Common Catholic prayersThe Rosary, the Chaplet, the Angelus — full texts
- Traditional novenasComplete nine-day texts
- The whole liturgical calendarEvery day from July 2026 to December 2027