The Church Year

Every year the church celebrates the life and work of Christ, through its festivals like Christmas and Easter, as well as the lives and examples of Christian people (the saints) and the mysteries of the Christian faith.  The church year gives a structure to these celebrations and a way of consecrating our human experience of time in the celebration of God's work. 

The church year is divided into seasons which each have their own characteristics, much like the seasons of autumn, winter, spring and summer.  For example, in Advent we prepare ourselves to celebrate the festival of Christmas, and look forward to the day when Jesus will come again.  The season of Lent has a restrained feel to it, with people often 'giving up' something, whilst the season of Easter is full of joy and celebrating new life.

These pages give an overview of the Christian year and show some of the distinctive features of each season.