What do I do with the Advent Wreath now?

[presbyter]

It's nearly "Vigil Mass of Christmas" time and I have two objects to place:

Firstly, the Jesse Tree that the children have made - easy to place. It goes near the crib during the Christmas Season.

Secondly, our quite large Advent Wreath (a cascade of ever-greenery from the garden). The central white candle could be said to be begging to be lit.

What do you do with your Advent Wreath now? (The answer, "We put it back in its cupboard" is quite acceptable but I am hoping for something a little more imaginative!)

[Southern Comfort]

If you consider the central white candle to represent Christ, then leave the wreath where it is, light all the Advent candles at the beginning of the Mass at which you will open/bless the crib, and light the white candle just before you bless the crib, as a symbol of Christ "the new light who was coming into the world". In other words, if the other four candles symbolised preparation/expectation, the white one symbolises incarnation. For Christmas morning, remove all the Advent candles and light the white one before Mass.

[JW]

If I remember correctly, our Advent Wreath stays on the Sanctuary over the whole Christmas period with all 5 candles lit. I personally like the way we do it.

I understand there is some debate as to whether the Advent Wreath should be part of the Liturgy in the church. The Vatican's Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy suggests that the place for the Advent Wreath is in the home, not the church. It makes no mention of the white candle . See here, paragraph 98 http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20020513_vers-direttorio_en.html

Do you have any views? Personally, I think the wreath adds a lot to the sense of anticipation of our Advent Liturgies in church and is a useful sign during the Christmas Season

Here is a video during which you can see the Pope's Advent Wreath in his office - four red candles only no purple candles, no white candle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn9DhkDGfJI

[Southern Comfort]

The Advent wreath indeed started off in German homes, where for hundreds of years you'd have found it placed on a table, using white candles only. From the home it migrated to the church. Red candles came later on, and purple and pink ones later still (within the last 50 years or so). The central white candle dates back only to the 1970s. It is thought that the wreath came to this country as a result of military personnel returning from the two World Wars and experiencing Advent wreaths in Germany. A lot more could be said about the form of the wreath, but here is not the place to do that.

As far as liturgical considerations are concerned, the Book of Blessings, unlike the Directory on Popular Piety, does not exclude the wreath from Mass altogether. It recommends that it be placed somewhere where it does not impede movement (e.g. around the altar), and provides for blessing and candle-lighting after the homily on the First Sunday of Advent. For the remaining three Sundays, it says the wreath should be blessed and candles lit immediately before the beginning of Mass, all of which implies that it assumes the wreath has a place in the church, not the home.

[presbyter]

As far as liturgical considerations are concerned, the Book of Blessings, unlike the Directory on Popular Piety, does not exclude the wreath from Mass altogether. It recommends that it be placed somewhere where it does not impede movement (e.g. around the altar), and provides for blessing and candle-lighting after the homily on the First Sunday of Advent. For the remaining three Sundays, it says the wreath should be blessed and candles lit immediately before the beginning of Mass, all of which implies that it assumes the wreath has a place in the church, not the home.

But what do I do with the wreath now?

[Southern Comfort]

See previous answer.

[Southern Comfort]

So ─ what did you do with it?

[docmattc]

Unlike JW's parish practice, our wreath, including a central white candle, was lit on Christmas day but had disappeared by Holy Family on the Sunday. I would have thought that if there's a white candle lit for the Christmas services, it should remain for at least the octave. On the other hand is that making it a surrogate Paschal Candle?

[presbyter]

So ─ what did you do with it?

I received a message that if we had a goat, it would be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way - i.e. eaten.

We have no goat - so it's still where I put it - providing five candle-power of illumination on one side of the crib, balanced by a small, real Christmas tree on the other side - behind which the magi have been hiding until today.

(Hmmmm - that's one desiccated Advent Wreath - one dried out Christmas tree - a heap of dry straw - and three votive candle stands in proximity. Who does the fire risk assessment in this church?)