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

Search Words for Worship Services

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6

  • (Tea lights are set up in groups of 50 on either side of the chancel in this ritual borrowed from Soulful Sundown.) The long Summer has faded, now, and these first days of November mark the beginning of the coming of Winter....
    Reading | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: All Souls Day, Community, Connections, Día de los Muertos, Family, Grief, Halloween, Letting Go, Relationships, Samhain
  • Minister: Surrounded by the animals we love, we remember with gratitude the pets, protectors, and animal companions who have blessed our lives. People: We give thanks for our childhood pets, who taught us to love and to cry. We give thanks for our children's pets, who help us to teach them...
    Responsive Reading | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animal Blessing, Animals, Caring, Children, Direct Experience, Nature, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Responsibility, Unitarian Universalism
  • Let us join our hearts and minds together in the spirit of meditation and prayer. May these moments of quiet lead us to the heart of the season, which is peace. May we breathedeeply of peace in this quiet place, relax into its warmth, know we are safe here, and let us open our hearts to the...
    Meditation | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christmas Eve / Christmas
  • God of the Autumn, help us to live with the grace of falling leaves the enthusiasm of the flaming Aspens with the serenity of the old trees, whose roots reach deep into the earth. God of the Autumn, help us to know that living and dying are one that life is precious, and beautiful, and limited....
    Meditation | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Autumnal Equinox, Fall, Nature, Reverence
  • Divine Spirit of our comings and goings, bless those who go forth, andbless those who stay....
    Meditation | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Education, Ending, Graduation Recognition
  • We join our hearts and minds together in a time of meditation or prayer; spoken, silent, sung, and shared....
    Meditation | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Paganism, Winter Solstice / Yule