The year teaches us how to live with Christ.
The liturgical calendar puts the whole Church on the same page, so we worship in communion with one another and let the story of Jesus shape ordinary time.
What is liturgy?
Liturgy is the official public worship of the Church: the Mass, the sacraments, the rites, prayers, and ceremonies through which Christ's Body worships God together.
The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fount from which all the Church's power flows. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #10
Why seasons matter
The Church does not treat every week as interchangeable. Advent teaches waiting, Christmas teaches wonder, Lent teaches repentance, Easter teaches joy, and Ordinary Time teaches steady growth.
The liturgical year
Each year begins on the First Sunday of Advent and moves through the central mysteries of Christian faith.
Advent
Late November to December 24
Advent teaches waiting. For four weeks the Church prepares in joyful hope for the birth of Jesus and for his return.
Christmas
December 25 to the Baptism of the Lord
Christmas celebrates the Son of God born in Bethlehem, the wonder of God coming close to all people.
Lent
Ash Wednesday through Holy Week
Lent is forty days of repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as the Church prepares for Easter.
The Sacred Paschal Triduum
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil
The holiest days of the year unfold as one great liturgy of Christ's supper, passion, death, and resurrection.
Easter
Easter Sunday to Pentecost
Easter is fifty days of resurrection joy, the fulfilment of God's promise and the centre of Christian hope.
Ordinary Time
The ordered green weeks of the year
Ordinary Time walks Sunday by Sunday through the life and teaching of Jesus, forming steady growth.
How this affects parish life
The seasons shape music, vestments, church environment, parish events, and sometimes the weekly schedule. Around Advent, Lent, Holy Week, Christmas, and Easter, check the bulletin and Mass times page for extra liturgies, reconciliation services, and changes to regular hours.