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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

  • palms from a palm tree thickly overlapping
    Today we walk toward the dayspring breaking through, the Easter day of joy.
    Opening | By Daniel Chesney Kanter | February 17, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Change, Christianity, Hope, Joy, Palm Sunday, Power, Unitarian Universalism
  • a pile of straw-colored crosses made out of dried palm fronds
    Thou who art the soul and heart of life, save us from fear—the fear of days and nights yet to be, the fear of the known and the unknown, the fear that builds high walls around our spirits and our lives, the fear that closes in and envelops us, the fear that nibbles at the edges of every...
    Meditation | By David A Johnson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Compassion, Courage, Despair, Discernment, Doubt, Faith, Fear, Freedom, Hope, Palm Sunday, Salvation
  • palms from a palm tree thickly overlapping
    Palm Sunday is found: whenever we are serving a noble and unpopular cause with selfless devotion, holding to the ideals of truth and justice; whenever we are seeking to uplift the fallen, to comfort the brokenhearted, to strengthen and encourage the weak and hopeless; whenever we are working brav...
    Meditation | By David O. Rankin | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Palm Sunday
  • Lit candles held in a row of cupped hands
    Leader: Every endeavor begins with a first step, and encounters darkness and difficulty along the way. Response: We know the darkness of ignorance, of fear, and of tyranny. Leader: Yet we know the dawning of the light, the beginnings of hope, and the renewal of life....
    Chalice Lighting | By Charles F Flagg | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Challenge, Courage, Discernment, Doubt, Faith, Fear, Hope, Journey, Palm Sunday, Power