This Advent Wreath Prayer page gives the traditional family blessing of the wreath and a prayer for each week of Advent as the candles are lit. The weekly prayers are the Collects of the four Sundays of Advent from the traditional Roman Missal. Advent begins Sunday, November 29, 2026.
V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.
Let us pray. O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
(The wreath is sprinkled with holy water.)
The Annunciation, by Fra Angelico (c. 1425–1426), Museo del Prado. Public domain.
Each week of Advent, light the candles for that week each evening and pray the prayer below, the Collect of that Sunday from the traditional Roman Missal. Advent begins Sunday, November 29, 2026.
Stir up Thy power, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and come: that from the threatening dangers of our sins we may deserve to be rescued by Thy protection, and to be saved by Thy deliverance. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way of Thine only-begotten Son: that through His coming we may attain to serve Thee with purified minds. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Incline Thine ear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to our petitions: and, by the grace of Thy visitation, enlighten the darkness of our minds. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
O Lord, we beseech Thee, stir up Thy power, and come, and with great might succor us: that by the help of Thy grace that which is hindered by our sins may be hastened by Thy merciful forgiveness. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Bless the wreath on the eve of the First Sunday of Advent or before the first lighting. Then gather each evening, perhaps before supper: make the Sign of the Cross, light the candles for that week (one the first week, two the second, three the third, all four the fourth), pray the week’s prayer, and put the candles out safely afterward. The blessing is from Helen McLoughlin’s Family Advent Customs (1954), as printed by Catholic Culture; the weekly Collects follow the traditional Missal (First Sunday of Advent propers).
The evergreen circle speaks of eternal life, and the growing light marks the approach of Christ, the Light of the World. Three candles are violet, the color of penance and preparation; the rose candle is lit on the Third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the Church rejoices that the Lord is near.
A priest may bless the wreath with holy water. In the home, the head of the family traditionally leads this blessing for the household, and the family answers the responses together.
Each Collect is the Church’s own prayer for that Sunday of Advent. Praying it at home through the week carries the Sunday Mass into family life, and three of the four use the ancient cry “Stir up,” asking the Lord to come.
