Candles & Lighting

Advent Wreaths

Advent wreaths with four candles marking the weeks of preparation for Christmas, in church and at home.

5 pieces

About this collection

About Advent Wreaths

The Advent wreath marks the four weeks of preparation for Christmas, and in church it needs to be sturdy and in proportion to the sanctuary. This collection offers brass Advent wreaths about 20 to 26 inches across with four candle sockets, some with a center candle, made to match our altar candlestick series.

There is also an adjustable standing Advent wreath made to order, and an insert that turns most 2-inch candlesticks into an Advent wreath.

Planning ahead

Check socket sizes against your Advent candles, and decide whether the wreath will sit on a table, a stand or the altar. Order early in the autumn so the wreath arrives before the First Sunday of Advent. Listed prices currently run from about $695 to $3,615. Call or request a quote. Freight is billed separately. See also altar candlesticks and candelabra.

Advent Wreaths

In the Sacred Liturgy

The Advent wreath is a circle of evergreens with four candles, one lit for each Sunday of Advent, the season of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. Week by week the light grows, as the Church waits in hope for the birth of the Savior, the Light of the world.

Traditionally three of the candles are violet, the color of Advent, and one is rose, lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the Church rejoices because the Lord is near. Some wreaths add a white candle in the center, lit at Christmas. The circle, with no beginning and no end, recalls God's eternal love, and the evergreens speak of the life that Christ brings.

In church the wreath is often placed near the altar or ambo and blessed on the First Sunday of Advent. At home, families gather around it to pray. Metal wreaths with candle sockets can be dressed with fresh greenery each year, and some are designed to fit on existing candlesticks or to stand on the floor.