Blessing of Advent wreath optional?

[pianistclare]

Going off on a tangent:
In our parish they choose a family to light the proper candle at each Sunday Mass. So the beginning of Mass becomes focused on the Advent wreath with a mini ceremony with prayer. I always thought those prayers were for use in the home and that, other than the blessing on the First Sunday of Advent, the candles were to be lit before Mass.

We do this too.
But Father doesn’t do a prayer, it just makes the Processional hymn longer.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

Going off on a tangent:
In our parish they choose a family to light the proper candle at each Sunday Mass. So the beginning of Mass becomes focused on the Advent wreath with a mini ceremony with prayer. I always thought those prayers were for use in the home and that, other than the blessing on the First Sunday of Advent, the candles were to be lit before Mass.

Before Mass or during the processional is OK. You’re correct about the prayers (unless your Bishops Conference has something else approved) - intended for home use, not Mass.

 

[Phemie]

Until I came to this parish 18 years ago I’d never seen an Advent wreath in church. I knew people who had them in their homes but none of the dozen or so parishes I’d belonged to across Canada used them.

 

[Bonnie]

A sudden Advent wreath memory!

Many years ago, in a different parish, we had a DRE who was in charge of everything - even the priest (who was a sweetheart, but she was a hard to resist steamroller). One Advent she got it into her head that all 4 candles were to be lit from the beginning, and no one could talk her out of it.

We must have had the only Advent wreath in the world with all 4 candles the same height.