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.
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[Touch hands to your own forehead, if it feels natural] May you be blessed with wisdom, knowledge and understanding. May your intellect take you far on your journey. You have been blessed with reason and free will, it is your call every day to use these gifts. [Throat] May you be blessed with voice.Blessing | By Lisa Bovee-Kemper | July 3, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Aging, Body, Compassion, Direct Experience, Humanism, Intimacy, Journey, Justice, Love, Secular, Sexuality, Truth, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness -
The most important lesson pottery has taught me is to not be attached to the final product—the process matters more than the product.Reflection | By Tim Atkins | June 28, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Abundance, Arts & Music, Beginnings, Creativity, Direct Experience, Humanism, Playfulness, Secular -
"Hopelessness is the enemy of justice." —Bryan Stevenson, in his 2017 Ware Lecture...Quote | By Bryan Stevenson | June 27, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Anti-Oppression, Despair, Direct Experience, Hope, Humanism, Justice, Living Our Faith, Purpose, Secular, Unitarian Universalism -
May I remember in this tender moment that Love is my guide, always, shepherding me toward ways of openness and compassion. I have what I need, really, with Love at my side, above me, below me, in front of me, behind me, inside every cell of me, Love infused everywhere! Just when the weight of the...Affirmation | By Kevin Tarsa | June 26, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Abundance, Awe, Christianity, Discernment, Faith, God, Love, Presence, Transcendence, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder -
Light We Seek, wherever I am on the journey toward wholeness for all of us—that is, toward racial equality—help me to forgive myself and others for missteps and missed opportunities, and guide my efforts to build up the relationships where love, justice, and understanding grow.Reflection | By Teresa Honey Youngblood | June 21, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Abundance, Direct Experience, Earth, Food, Food Justice, Generosity, Humanism, Nature, Race/Ethnicity, Stewardship, Work -
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/WiserTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Caring, Children, Community, Direct Experience, Disaster or Crisis, Humanism, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Love, Multiculturalism, Parents, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Violence -
Dear Moppies, Maddies, and Babas; men who have given birth, women whose children still call you Daddy, queer parents of all genders and none, There isn’t a holiday set apart for us. We’re reminded of that twice a year. But I see you. I see you next to your wife’s hospital bed, snuggling your...Reflection | By Evin Carvill Ziemer | June 12, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Children, Direct Experience, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Inclusion, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Parents -
I believe in the radical idea that men have the full human capacity to nurture.Meditation | By Evin Carvill Ziemer | June 12, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Caring, Children, Direct Experience, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Humanism, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Mothers, Parents, Secular -
One: Today, Pride Day, we affirm with joy that we are proud. Many: We are proud to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and questioning. One: We are proud to have survived and thrived despite challenges to our dignity, well-being, and sometimes even our lives. Many: We are proud to be...Responsive Reading | By Amanda Udis-Kessler | June 10, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Humanism, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Multiculturalism, Pride Sunday, Secular, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism -
I am not alone. I don’t have to face the world alone and I don’t have to fix the world alone. When I need hope, I find it in on the faces of my people. All we need is hope... and for that, we have each other.Reflection | By Sean Parker Dennison | June 7, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Activism, Community, Connections, Direct Experience, Hope, Relationships -
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” —Maya Angelou As a born traveler, I love the novelty of discovering a familiar thing...Reflection | By Daniel Gregoire | May 31, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: America, Direct Experience, Identity, Journey, Race/Ethnicity -
In Unitarian Universalist worship, we march for justice and stand for causes all the time; we also see clearly, raise our voices, and hear the truth. We bless the hands that reach out, and the feet that follow the ways of righteousness. If we like something, chances are good there will be an able...Reflection | By Suzanne Fast | May 29, 2017 | From WorshipLabTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Body, Direct Experience, Equity, Humanism, Inclusion, Justice, Living Our Faith, Multiculturalism, Oppression, Secular -
"We live in an occupied country, misunderstood; justice will take us millions of intricate moves." from Stafford's poem "Thinking for Berky," in Traveling through the Dark...Quote | By William Stafford | May 26, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: America, Anti-Oppression, Justice, Oppression, Prophetic Words & Deeds
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Life is neither a playground nor a game. The folded lies are real. With our voices, we can and will undo them.Reflection | By Maureen Killoran | May 24, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Discernment, Integrity, Truth -
Today—and on all other days—may we give thanks for the fathers, papas, pop-pops, dads and daddies who represent for us the steadfast presence that holds us in love and launches us into the world, whether we encounter it when we are small or already grown. May we be mindful of those for whom this...Prayer | By Leah Ongiri | May 23, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Generations, Healing, Humanism, Parents, Secular -
Sheet music is available in two forms: full piano accompaniment and voice only. verse 1: I am who I’m becoming; I am all I have done. I am what I am dreaming; I’ve only just begun. I am who I’m becoming; I am all I have done. I am what I am dreaming; I’ve only just begun. verse 2: You are...Music | By Mary Grigolia | May 18, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Awe, Growth, Wonder
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“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious...Reflection | By Marisol Caballero | May 17, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Acceptance, Direct Experience, Faith, Letting Go, Mystery, Trust -
Learn how UU worship leaders can decenter whiteness, take apart models & habits that uphold white supremacy culture, and find new ways to create worship.Webinar | May 16, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Anti-Oppression, Arts & Music, Direct Experience, Inclusion, International, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Respect, Worship -
We’re the faith of reason and science and dignity. There's nothing wrong with that. It’s just that too many of us have been taught by culture that what "smart" looks like is white, male, and middle class. We’ve been taught that credibility and authority are white. We’ve been taught that what...Quote | By Matthew Johnson | May 15, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-Oppression, Courage, Direct Experience, Identity, Living Our Faith, Multiculturalism, Oppression, Race/Ethnicity, Reason, Responsibility, Seven Principles, Unitarian Universalism -
From the time I was a baby, my mother often displayed her love for me by reciting a list of endearments such as: mi chiquitica linda, mi preciosa, mi criaturita hermosa, mi alegría, la hija más amada en el mundo, el tesoro de mi corazón. Loosely translated, her litany would go like this: my cute...Reflection | By Lilia Cuervo | May 10, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Aging, Children, Death, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, Humanism, Love, Mother's Day, Mothers, Secular