When “Santa Baby” starts playing at the grocery store, I thank God I’m Catholic and try not to hum along! That can be difficult because it is a catchy—if irritating—tune. During the Advent season, we ...

Last year, America published “An (unconventional) Advent Playlist,” an article including two playlists by Karen Nielsen and Rogelio Juárez, in response to a friend’s lament that “‘O Come, O Come ...

An important part of the observance of Advent during this liturgical season is the playing and singing of Advent music. It's similar to — but also different than — the more well-known genre of ...

I entered parish ministry with a fair amount of idealism, particularly liturgical idealism. Inconveniently, the liturgical proclivities I picked up in seminary were not especially popular with my ...

When many Catholics think of Advent music, what comes to mind is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and maybe The King of Glory. However, the Church possesses a treasure house of hymns and carols that ...

Advent for some Christian denominations is a penitential season of waiting and longing in the four weeks before Christmas. The consumer-driven holiday season often overlooks the Advent themes of ...

"O Lord, How Shall I Meet You" is a perfect Lutheran hymn for the weeks before Christmas, but shoppers will never hear it between Muzak versions of "Jingle Bells" and ...

Wreaths, candles and calendars. These are sure signs of Advent for many Christian groups around the world. But what is Advent exactly? Spiritually, it’s meant as a celebration of the Earthly birth of ...