December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception

How exciting!  We enter a new Liturgical Year, the Season of Advent and the traditional Cycle of Christmas, when we meditate upon the Mystery of the Incarnation.  Unlike our cultural norms of indulgence and attending party after party, we who devoutly observe Advent, know this is a time of preparation and waiting.  We do not celebrate until Christ is born.  Until then, we make ourselves ready by performing penance and good deeds.  Joy is always greater when there has been some discipline preceding the event.

We commemorate the Divine Infancy this month as we prepare to celebrate Our Blessed Lord’s Nativity.  As well, we honor Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States of America.  With all the need presently in this country, let us flee to her in prayer, beseeching many graces.  The feast of the Immaculate Conception remains on December 8th in the trad calendar.  In the new, it has been transferred to the 9th and is a Holy Day of Obligation. 

Where can you get a good 2025 liturgical calendar?  At Nomen Christi Apostolate, we represent unity between traditional Catholics and those who attend the Novus Ordo.  Therefore we look at both calendars and when composing these monthly reviews, refer to both.  Admittedly, this can be confusing.  We recommend you choose the calendar you prefer and have it in your home to advise you of feasts each month…or hang both calendars!  Many parishes distribute calendars for free.  As for a trad calendar, here's a good one, which will also support the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter:

Fraternity Publications 2025 Liturgical Calendar

Let us remember the Ember Days of Advent on the 18th, 20th and 21st.  This is great time to do Christmas crafts with children, incorporating winter themes.  Encouraging children to perform acts of charity on these days would also be in keeping with the penitential character of the Ember Days, along with Advent.

A most Blessed Christmas and Christmas Season to all!

SAINT ANDREW CHRISTMAS PRAYER

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires
through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ,
and of His blessed Mother.

Amen.

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception

The good Christian name “John” is well-represented this month, as we honor 5 saints by this name:  one the beloved of Christ, 2 Doctors of the Church, one visionary and one priestly professor.  We also honor 5 Doctors of the Church:  in addition to the 2 Johns, we have 2 Peters and St. Ambrose.  December also contains the Ember Days, adding further to the preparation of Advent through prayer and penance.  These are loosely concerned with the seasons, so there are many ways to be creative with children, combining the Ember Days, the coming season of winter and Christmas.  It is wonderful to teach our children these traditions, so they will develop a love for the Catholic Faith and its many-faceted riches.

As for our themes this month, it is not difficult to combine the Divine Infancy with the Immaculate Conception.  Mother and Child are inseparable, as the beautiful painting above shows.  The Child Jesus points us toward His Nativity and the time of spiritual preparation for this joyful celebration.  The sinless Virgin Mother serves to glorify the Infant Himself.  There are many ways we can creatively celebrate both Mother and Child.  One possibility is to participate in pro-life activities-there are so many ways to do this and to use one’s unique gifts.  We may have done this 2 months ago in October, but the unborn ceaselessly need our help.  If you do not have much time, you can always pray and offer up for them.  Only 3 days after Christmas, we honor the Holy Innocents, further encouragement to remember God’s precious little ones this month as we prepare to celebrate His birth.

Here are some notable feasts from both the old and new calendars of the Roman Rite…

3-First Friday / St. Francis Xavier

4-First Saturday / St. John Damascene, Doctor of the Church, Author Fount of Knowledge / St. Peter Chrysologus, Doctor of the Church, Author of many great sermons / St. Barbara, Martyr

5-2nd Sunday of Advent (purple candle)

6-St. Nicholas

7-St. Ambrose, Doctor of the Church, Author De Virginibus

8-IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY (obligation)

9-St. Juan (John) Diego, Seer of Our Lady of Guadalupe

10-OUR LADY OF LORETO

12-Gaudete Sunday (pink candle) / OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

13-St. Lucy / St. Odilia, Martyrs, Patronesses of the eyes (Odilia’s feast is non-standard)

14-St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, Author Dark Night of the Soul

15-Ember Wednesday in Advent (trad meat at one meal)

17-Ember Friday in Advent

18-Ember Saturday in Advent (trad meat at one meal)

19-4th Sunday of Advent (purple candle)

21-St. Thomas, Apostle / St. Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Church, Author Summa of Christian Doctrine

23-St. John of Kanty, Priest, Professor of Sacred Scripture

24-VIGIL OF THE NATIVITY

25-NATIVITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (obligation)

26-THE HOLY FAMILY / St. Stephen, Protomartyr

27-St. John the Evangelist

28-The Holy Innocents

The stunning painting above is “Virgin with Angels” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. This is an ornament which can be purchased here.