Advent
Sunday, December 13, 2026
On Sunday, December 13, 2026, the Catholic Church is in Advent and the liturgical color is rose. It is Gaudete Sunday.
Liturgical color: Rose · Gaudete Sunday
Day 15 of Advent this year, with 11 days to go.
Caravaggio · The Incredulity of Saint Thomas · c. 1601-02 · public domain
A ferial day
There is no fixed feast in the General Roman Calendar on this date, so the Mass is that of the weekday in Advent. Local calendars may add a celebration of their own — check your parish or diocese.
This season
- Advent 2026: the day-by-day calendarA reflection prompt for every day to Christmas, the wreath, the O Antiphons
- Gaudete SundayWhy the vestments are rose today
- St Andrew Christmas Novena — day 14 of 25The prayer, fifteen times today
- Novenas being prayed todaySt 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 rose?
Rose is worn twice a year only — Gaudete Sunday in Advent and Laetare Sunday in Lent — as a break in the purple, a glimpse of the feast ahead.
Verse of the day
Phil 4:5
Read it in context — the whole Catholic Bible is in the app, offline and free.
Frequently asked
What liturgical color is worn on December 13, 2026?
Rose, the color of Advent. Rose is worn twice a year only — Gaudete Sunday in Advent and Laetare Sunday in Lent — as a break in the purple, a glimpse of the feast ahead.
What liturgical season is December 13, 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 13, 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.
← Dec 12 · December 2026 · Dec 14 →
Today's readings, the saint, and the day's color — on your home screen every morning.
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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