Advent wreath · First Sunday
First Sunday of Advent: Lighting the Wreath (Hope)
Bless your Advent wreath and light the first candle, the candle of hope, on the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2026
On the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2026, Catholic families bless their Advent wreath and light its first violet candle, the candle of hope.
This is the lighting of the Advent wreath, for the First Sunday of Advent. Pray it alone, or with everyone at home. Gather around your wreath, or around any candle you have.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
This Sunday the Church begins her Advent watch. The green of the wreath stays alive all winter. The circle has no end, like God’s love. Four Sundays, four candles, and each week a little more light, until Christmas. In many homes, the first candle is called the candle of hope.
Listen to the word of the Lord from today’s Gospel, from Mark, chapter thirteen: “Take ye heed, watch and pray. For ye know not when the time is.”
If you have a wreath, light the first violet candle now.
Take your time.
The light is small. That is how hope begins.
Let us ask God to bless this wreath.
Lord our God, bless this circle of green and these four candles. As we light them, one by one, Sunday by Sunday, let our hope grow brighter. Keep us awake for the One who is coming, Jesus Christ, Your Son, the Light of the world. Amen.
Now let each one name, quietly, one door to keep open for Him this Advent. An hour. A habit. A person. If you pray alone, name yours.
Let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Lord Jesus, our light is small against the dark of this long season. We do not know the hour of Your coming. Teach us to wait for You with hope, even on the nights when hope is hard, and to keep the door open. Come, Lord Jesus, and do not delay. Amen.
Let us make the sign of the cross. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
Below is the AngelGuard app’s own prayer for lighting the wreath that evening, printed in full: the Sign of the Cross, a line from the Sunday Gospel (Mark 13:33), the blessing of the wreath, the Our Father and a closing prayer. It takes about four minutes, and one person can lead it for the whole family or pray it alone.
Go deeper
First Sunday of Advent 2026: November 29, the candle of hope
1 min readThe First Sunday of Advent falls on November 29, 2026, and it opens both the season and the Church’s new year.
The First Sunday of Advent falls on November 29, 2026, and it opens both the season and the Church’s new year. One violet candle is lit tonight, the first of four; many families call it the candle of hope, and some call it the Prophet’s candle, for the prophets who waited for a Savior they never saw.
At Mass the Gospel is Mark 13:33–37, read in Year B of the Sunday cycle. Jesus tells of a man who goes on a long journey, puts his servants in charge of the house, and orders the doorkeeper to stay awake, because no one knows whether the master will come back in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrow or at dawn. The wreath prayer takes its Gospel line from the first verse of that passage, and its closing prayer asks for what the doorkeeper was asked to do: stay awake, and keep the door open for Him.
The next day, November 30, is the feast of St. Andrew, when many Catholics begin the St. Andrew Christmas novena.
How to bless an Advent wreath at home
1 min readAt home a parent, or whoever heads the household, usually leads the blessing of the family’s wreath.
At home a parent, or whoever heads the household, usually leads the blessing of the family’s wreath. No priest is needed, though a priest or deacon who happens to be there would normally lead it.
It is done once, on the First Sunday of Advent or on the Saturday evening before. In the prayer above it comes just after the first candle is lit: one short prayer asking God to bless “this circle of green and these four candles,” and to let the family’s hope grow brighter as a candle is added each week.
Many parishes also bless wreaths at the Masses of the First Sunday. A wreath blessed at church can still be prayed over at home; the home blessing is how a family says, out loud and together, that the wreath on the table is there for prayer and not only for decoration.
Lighting the first Advent candle as a family
1 min readOne person reads the prayer aloud and everyone else listens and answers “Amen,” so it works at a table full of small children as well as for one person with one candle.
One person reads the prayer aloud and everyone else listens and answers “Amen,” so it works at a table full of small children as well as for one person with one candle.
- Choose one time and keep it. Sunday dinner suits most families: gather, pray, light the candle, and let it burn through the meal; blow it out before anyone leaves the table.
- Give the children a part. An older child can read the Gospel line, and the youngest who can do it safely can light the candle with a parent’s hand close by.
- Wait for the quiet moment. Halfway through, everyone names “one door to keep open” for Jesus this Advent. Children tend to say something small and concrete, like a bedtime prayer or being kinder to a sister. Take what comes.
- Light it again on weeknights. Each evening of the first week, light the same candle at dinner and pray the Our Father or the short Advent prayer for that day.
- No wreath yet? Pray around any candle, as the prayer itself suggests, and bless the wreath on the evening it arrives.
Advent wreath prayers for the other Sundays
1 min readEach Sunday of Advent has its own wreath prayer, with a verse of its own Gospel and one more candle burning.
Each Sunday of Advent has its own wreath prayer, with a verse of its own Gospel and one more candle burning.
- Second Sunday, December 6: the candle of peace, and John the Baptist calling out in the desert.
- Third Sunday, December 13: Gaudete Sunday and the rose candle of joy.
- Fourth Sunday, December 20: the candle of love, and Mary’s answer to the angel.
Which candle goes where, why one of them is rose, and whether a wreath needs a fifth candle are all in our Advent wreath guide, which prints on one page for the table.
Questions
What is the prayer for the first Sunday of Advent?
At home, the family lights the first violet candle of the Advent wreath and prays over it. The prayer on this page is a complete one for November 29, 2026: it blesses the wreath, reads Jesus’ warning from Mark 13:33, “Take ye heed, watch and pray,” and ends with the Our Father and a prayer for hope. If you want just one line, pray “Come, Lord Jesus,” the Bible’s last plea (Revelation 22:20).
What is the first Advent candle called?
The candle of hope, in many homes. Some families call it the Prophet’s candle, for the prophets who foretold the Messiah. It is violet, like the second and fourth candles; the rose one waits for the Third Sunday.
What do you say when you light the first Advent candle?
Begin with the Sign of the Cross, hear a line of the Sunday Gospel, light the candle, and ask God to bless the wreath. The full order on this page is: the Sign of the Cross, a few words on the season, Mark 13:33, the lighting, the blessing, a moment for each person to name “one door to keep open,” the Our Father, a closing prayer and a final blessing.
Does a priest have to bless an Advent wreath?
No. The Church’s Book of Blessings says that at home a parent, or someone else in the family, may fittingly bless the wreath, on the First Sunday of Advent or the evening before. Many parishes also bless wreaths at Mass that weekend, and a wreath blessed at church can still be prayed over at home.
What color does the priest wear on the first Sunday of Advent?
Violet, the color of the Sundays and weekdays of Advent. Of the four Sundays, only the Third, Gaudete Sunday, can differ: rose may be worn instead. Feasts that fall in Advent, such as the Immaculate Conception on December 8, keep their own colors. Violet in Advent stands for waiting and preparing, which is why three of the four wreath candles are violet too.
What if we miss lighting the candle on Sunday?
Light it the next evening and pray the same prayer. There is no rule about the day or the hour; the wreath is there to help a family pray, and a late start is still a start.
A prayer from AngelGuard · the app’s wreath lighting; Gospel in the Douay-Rheims
Guided narration · How it’s made
Upcoming · Oct 28
Sts. Simon and Jude
See the full liturgical calendar — every feast this year, and an embed for your parish site.