USCCB Offers Web Resources For Advent And Christmas, Including Audio Retreats

WASHINGTON—Dailysuggestions for prayer, reflection and action during the Advent and Christmasseasons will be available online beginning the first Sunday of Advent, December2. Thecontent is presented in a clickable calendar format, with each click opening"doors" to a page of suggestions and links for that date.

TheU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) provides these online resources,which will be posted at www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent/ and www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/christmas/.

New this year are audio retreats inEnglish and Spanish for the four Sundays of Advent and the three Sundays of theChristmas season, which concludes on January 13, 2103, with the Feast of theBaptism of the Lord.

The retreats, produced by FranciscanMedia and made possible by funds from the Catholic Communication Campaign,feature music and a Scripture reflection from a different bishop each week. Bishopsparticipating are Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of USCCB; ArchbishopRoger L. Schwietz, OMI, of Anchorage, Alaska; Bishop John C. Wester of SaltLake City; Bishop Joseph P. McFadden of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Bishop JosephJ. Tyson of Yakima, Washington (English and Spanish); Bishop Fernando Isern ofPueblo, Colorado; auxiliary Bishop Joseph R. Binzer of Cincinnati; auxiliaryBishop Bishop José Arturo Cepeda Escobedo of Detroit (English and Spanish); auxiliaryBishop Eduardo A. Nevares of Phoenix; auxiliary Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama ofAtlanta; auxiliary Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha of Newark; and auxiliary BishopJosu Iriondo of New York. The retreats are hosted by Franciscan Media's EliaCastillo.

A Festival of Lesson and Carols, a service of Scripture and song thatdates to the late 19th century, is also featured for online listening ordownload. The audio program features music performed by the choir of theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Other resources on the websiteinclude liturgical notes on Advent, a commentary on the proper prayers of theseason from the Roman Missal, a list of recommended holiday-themed movies fromUSCCB, and prayers and blessings from the USCCB publication Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers.The page also featuresprintable calendars in English and Spanish with a daily suggestion for a familyactivity during Advent and Christmas.

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Keywords: USCCB, website, resources,Advent, Christmas, prayer, reflection, retreat, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conferenceof Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop John Wester, Bishop JosephMcFadden, Roman Missal, families

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