PENSACOLA |  FORT WALTON |  PANAMA CITY |  TALLAHASSEE
Click the links above to view the 2019 Advent penance times in your area.
Please call your parish if days/ times are not listed. 

Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, "ad-venire" in Latin or "to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. The final days of Advent, focus particularly on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas).

Questions: What are the colors of Advent?

In the Roman Catholic Church, the official liturgical color for most of the Season of Advent is violet. It is used in both Advent and Lent to signify a time of preparation, prayer, penance and sacrifice. Only on the Third Sunday of Advent is a rose (pink) colored candle lit, as a symbol of joy; the priest may also wear rose vestments on this Sunday.

DEVOTIONS

Advent devotions including the Advent wreath, remind us of the meaning of the season. An advent wreath can be purchased or made as a family. The wreath is traditionally a circle of evergreens, symbolizing the eternal and never-ending life we have in Christ. In recent years, advent candles places in a row on a mantle have become more popular and are an acceptable form of a "wreath" to use in commemorating Advent.

Each of the four candles placed in the wreath has a special significance and deeper meaning:

• The 1st Sunday of Advent is observed with a violet candle, symbolizing hope, particularly hope in Christ's Second Coming.
• The 2nd Sunday of Advent is also marked by a violet candle, symbolizing faith, again in reference to Christ's Second Coming specifically.
• The 3rd Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. This is the only Sunday in the season that is marked by a rose candle representing the virtue of joy - joy that the time of waiting is almost over and that Christmas is nearly here.
• The 4th Sunday of Advent is the final Sunday and is marked by a violet candle symbolizing peace, a virtue that Christ's Presence brings to us.  

A white candle can be added to the center of the wreath which is meant to symbolize Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. This is an optional candle and is based on the desires of the family.

An ancient tradition revived in the mid-20th century as an Advent practice, the Jesse Tree represents the family of Jesse, father of King David. Out of this family line, God would take flesh and live among the people of earth. The Gospel of Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (Mt 1:1-17) names a person from each generation before Jesus’ birth. Stories about these people are in the Old Testament. The Jesse Tree itself can be made from paper, cloth, branches or a tabletop Christmas tree. Make or add an ornament each day of Advent to represent the ancestors of Jesus.
 

2019 Advent Penance Services

Pensacola Area

Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Pensacola – hosted a “Pre-Advent Penance Service” on November 4, 2019.

St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Pensacola
Friday, December 6, 2019 - First Friday Adoration, 6-8 p.m., Reconciliation from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Advent Confessions will be heard in the church each Saturday starting at 3 p.m. or by appointment.

St. Paul Catholic Church, Pensacola
Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - 7 p.m.

St. Rose of Lima, Milton
Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - 7 p.m.

Little Flower Catholic Church, Pensacola
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 6 p.m.

St. Ann Catholic Church, Gulf Breeze
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 6:30 p.m.

Nativity of Our Lord, Pensacola
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 6:30 p.m.

St. Mary Catholic Church, Pensacola
Thursday, December 12, 2019 - 7 p.m.

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Pensacola
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 6:30 p.m.

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Pensacola
Saturday, December 21, 2019 - 1:30-3:30 p.m.

St. Sylvester Catholic Church, Gulf Breeze
Saturday, December 21 - 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, Pensacola
Monday, December 23, 2019 - 5:30-8 p.m.
 

Fort Walton Area

Christ Our Redeemer, Niceville
Monday, December 2, 2019 - 6:30 p.m.

St. Margaret of Scotland, Defuniak Springs
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 6:30 p.m.

Our Lady of Victory, Crestview
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 7 p.m.

Christ the King Mission, Freeport
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 6:30 p.m.

Holy Name of Jesus, Niceville
Monday, December 9, 2019 - 7 p.m.

St. Mary Catholic Church, Fort Walton Beach
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 6 p.m.

Resurrection Parish, Miramar Beach
Wednesday, December 11, 2010 - 6:30 p.m.

St. Rita Catholic Church, Santa Rosa Beach
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 6:30 p.m.

Eglin AFB West Chapel
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 6 p.m.

St. Peter Parish, Mary Esther
Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 7 p.m.

Corpus Christi, Destin
Friday, December 20, 2019 - 7 p.m.

Panama City area

St. John the Evangelist, Panama City
Tuesday, December 3, 2019 - 6:00 p.m.

St. Joseph Parish, Port St. Joe
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 6:30 EST

Holy Cross Parish, Chattahoochee
Monday, December 9, 2019 - 5:30 p.m. EST

St. Francis of Assisi, Blountstown
Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - 6:30 p.m. CST

Immaculate Conception
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 7:30 p.m.

St. Bernadette, Panama City
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 6 p.m.

St. Theresa Catholic Church, Sunny Hills
Thursday, December 12, 2019 - 7-8 p.m.

St. Dominic Catholic Church, Panama City
Thursday, December 16, 2019 - 5:30 p.m.

St. Anne Parish, Marianna
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 7 p.m.

St. Joseph the Worker, Chipley
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 5:30 p.m.

Tallahassee area

St. Thomas the Apostle, Quincy
Saturday, December 7, 2019 - 3-7 p.m.

Blessed Sacrament, Tallahassee
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 7 p.m.

Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, Tallahassee
Thursday, December 12, 2019 - 7 p.m.

Good Shepherd, Tallahassee
Monday, December 16, 2019 - 7 p.m.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 4:40-5:30 p.m. (Reconciliation)

St. Eugene Chapel, Tallahassee
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 5-6:30 p.m.

Good Shepherd, Tallahassee
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 9:45 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. (Reconciliation)
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 4:30-5:30 p.m. (Reconciliation)
Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 4:30-5:30 p.m. (Reconciliation)

St. Thomas the Apostle, Quincy
Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 5 p.m.

St. Eugene Chapel, Tallahassee
Friday, December 20, 2019 - 5-6:30 p.m.

Good Shepherd, Tallahassee
Friday, December 20, 2019 - 4:30-5:30 p.m. (Reconciliation)