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An unlit chalice on a church altar

Unitarian Universalists honor and celebrate a wide range of holidays and occasions over the course of a year. Unlike other faith traditions that use a single lectionary (a collection of scripture readings appointed for a given day or occasion), the topics and themes for Unitarian Universalist worship services are usually chosen independently by worship leaders in congregations. These include unique UU traditions, like the Flower Ceremony, as well as holidays from other faith traditions, such as Christmas or Beltane.

View and download the 2023-24 UUA Worship Calendar (PDF), which includes faith-based and secular holidays that UU congregations often celebrate. The calendar also includes monthly worship themes used in popular theme-based ministry programs. To download or print, follow the link and use the File menu, then select the Landscape layout option.

LEADER RESOURCE 2 Rituals to Welcome a New Child
a medieval window from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland, depicting the Nativity
Islamic prayer beads or Subha inside the Süleymaniye Moque (Istanbul).
An altar filled with candles, photos, and flowers

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4

  • A young child eats a cookied, wearing a Santa hat, while peering at someone off-camera.
    “If I ask you a question, do you promise to tell me the truth?" For future reference, if a child asks you this question at Christmas time, EVADE.
    Reflection | By Becky Brooks | October 18, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Awe, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Doubt, Faith, Humanism, Relationships, Searching, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder
  • Above a sea of hands holding lit candles in the air, someone holds a sign with a rainbow heart: "One human family"
    What DO we do in the face of evil? Anything. Everything. Pray, protest, bake, hug, grieve, wail, laugh, explain, linger, research, fight, cry. What we absolutely must not do is ignore it.
    Reflection | By Becky Brooks | June 14, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Caring, Children, Community, Direct Experience, Disaster or Crisis, Humanism, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Love, Multiculturalism, Parents, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Violence
  • a sea of faces at a vigil in response to the Orlando shootings. Above the crowd, a rainbow flag ripples in the breeze.
    we were erased and still we loved we were shamed and still we loved we were expelled and still we loved we were laughed at and still we loved we were hunted and still we loved we were sacrificed and still we loved we were marketed and still we loved we were legislated and still we loved we were...
    Poetry | By Becky Brooks | August 1, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Healing, Identity, Inclusion, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Love, Pride Sunday, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Solidarity
  • A birds-eye view of about six sets of hands, stacked on top of one another
    Mother's Day is complicated. Joyful for many, yes, but complicated. It's right there on the calendar, even if your mother has died....
    Opening | By Becky Brooks | May 28, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Brokenness, Children, Direct Experience, Family, Grief, Healing, Humanism, Love, Mother's Day, Mothers, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships, Wholeness