This is the third installment of a series on the great hymns of Advent. To learn more about Advent, read the introductory post: On Advent: What It Is & Why You Need It. Part 1 on the hymns of Advent ...

This is the fourth and final installment of my series on the great hymns of Advent. To learn more about Advent, you can read the introductory post: On Advent: What It Is & Why You Need It. Part 1 on ...

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 ...

hymn, n [from the Latin hymnus, song of praise] 1: a song of praise to God 2: a metrical composition adapted for singing in a religious service For centuries, Christians have sung hymns in order to ...

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 ...

After the angel Gabriel visits Mary to announce she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit, Mary receives the news and goes to see her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also miraculously pregnant. The ...

Many Catholic Advent hymns focus on the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, such as "Rorate Caeli (Drop Down, Ye Heavens)." In recent years, Brett McCraken of The Gospel Coalition network has created ...

St. Ambrose, whose feast falls during Advent, wrote a beautiful hymn that can become a fitting meditation during this time of the year. St. Ambrose is one of the most highly revered saints, especially ...

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 ...