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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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  • A single powerful red-orange flame glows in the darkness around it.
    Hold us gently as we gather closer together, comforting each other, healing each other.
    Prayer | By Vanessa Titang | May 26, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Disaster or Crisis, Transcendence, Worship
  • The hands of a Black person cradle the new lettuce leaves growing in their garden.
    Growing connects me to ancestors who had their hands in the dirt because it was keeping them alive.
    Reflection | By Melissa Jeter | May 25, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Abundance, Earth, Earth-Centered, Family, Food, Food Justice, Generations, Growth, Humanism, Nature, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Secular, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • Small votive candles are lit in the catacombs under the raised pews of the Belper Unitarian Chapel in Derbyshire, UK
    This burning flame represented hope during the bleakness of World War II.
    Chalice Lighting | By anastasia birosh | May 23, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Generations, History, Hope, Tradition, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarianism, Worship
  • Two women, each wearing a mask, sit in wooden church pews.
    Help us feel at home with ourselves and with one another so there is no need to pretend.
    Prayer | By Molly Kliment-Jenkins | May 22, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Caring, Change, Fear, Growth, Hospitality, Transcendence, Worship
  • A buttery-yellow butterfly, with black stripes, rests on a vivid pink flower.
    Change is part of who we are.
    Story | By Caitlin Cotter Coillberg | May 19, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Change, Earth-Centered, Letting Go, Transformation, Worship
  • Soft green algae covers a landscape of rocks
    In a world of scarcity, interconnection and mutual aid become critical for survival.
    Reading | By Robin Wall Kimmerer | May 19, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Abundance, Caring, Earth, Earth-Centered, Interdependence, Nature
  • A delicate frond spirals out of a vine.
    Cultures of gratitude must also be cultures of reciprocity.
    Reading | By Robin Wall Kimmerer | May 19, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Indigenous American, Interdependence, Relationships, Responsibility, Worship
  • From behind, the silhouette of a U.S. Marine in dress uniform with a blue sky and a few clouds
    None of us are mission-making machines.
    Reflection | By Susan Maginn | May 18, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Compassion, Direct Experience, Humanism, Leadership, Military, Ministry, Secular, Vulnerability, Worship
  • Students from the Native Food & Farming class harvest corn, beans, and squash from the Sterling Abenaki Heritage Garden, arranging the vegetables in a circular altar.
    Respect one another, support one another, bring your gift to the world and receive the gifts of others, and there will be enough for all.
    Reading | By Robin Wall Kimmerer | May 17, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Abundance, Earth, Earth-Centered, Indigenous American, Interdependence, Nature, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    There’s never been a time in the United States history when black rebellions did not spark existential fear among white people.
    Reading | By Michelle Alexander, Leslie Alexander | May 12, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), America, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Freedom, History, Juneteenth, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Worship
  • A newborn infant lies on a bed next to their mother, whose torso reveals stretch marks and other signs of recently giving birth.
    Motherhood must be a choice. It cannot be chosen for us.
    Reflection | By Leslie Ahuvah Fails | May 11, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Body, Children, Choice, Mothers, Reproductive Justice, Worship
  • An abstract image of a bright spiral-shaped flame against a dark background.
    The power to choose is the power of life in the midst of brokenness.
    Reading | By Rebecca Ann Parker | May 7, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Activism, Body, Brokenness, Choice, Direct Experience, Humanism, Integrity, Reproductive Justice, Self-Respect, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A single candle flame in a dark space illuminates a person in silhouette.
    May our beacon of hope give you respite
    Chalice Lighting | By Joseph M. Cherry | May 4, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Good, Hope, Strength, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A Latinx mother crouches down to adjust her small child's backpack straps, smiling lovingly.
    Blessing something or someone is a way of expressing my gratitude and reverence for them.
    Reflection | By Tania Y Márquez | May 4, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Direct Experience, Family, Mothers, Power, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, Worship
  • A spring of green leaves rests on a cut of tree trunk, revealing many rings of growth
    May we reconnect to our life-giving, breath-freeing connection
    Prayer | By Leslie Takahashi | May 1, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Beauty, Climate Justice, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Nature, Responsibility, Worship
  • Seen from high above, a human crowd forms two hands and a heart shape on white background
    You can crush Love down, bury it, cover it over, but it will rise.
    Reflection | By Molly Housh Gordon | April 6, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Christianity, Community, Easter, Love, Mystery, Purpose, Worship
  • An abstract flame-like pattern, in bright gold colors, and a black background.
    May we tend our Soul Fire through these challenging and trying times
    Chalice Lighting | By anastasia birosh | March 31, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, Acceptance, Challenge, Hope, Hospitality, Inclusion, Purpose, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • 10 Clergy in Stoles at a congregation's anniversary
    New lyrics for #358 to correct its original ableism.
    Music | By Kendyl L. R. Gibbons, Cynthia Landrum | March 30, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Arts & Music, Installations, Ministerial Transition, Ordinations, Worship
  • A person in pink robes, mostly cropped out of the photo, holds a Qur'am and Muslim prayer beads.
    When the holy month of Ramadan approaches, it becomes a beautiful reminder to return to myself.
    Reflection | By Summer Albayati | March 30, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Contemplation, Islam, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    My dreams matter, as they are connected to the dreams of my ancestors.
    Affirmation | By Phoenix Bell-Shelton Biggs | March 30, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Direct Experience, Imagination, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Vision, Worship