Our Lady of the New Advent: Denver’s Unique Marian Devotion Prepares Us for Christ
- Denver Catholic Staff
- 30 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Every December, just as Advent reaches its final stretch and Christmas draws near, the Archdiocese of Denver turns its gaze toward a uniquely local Marian devotion: Our Lady of the New Advent, celebrated on December 16.
While many Marian titles are celebrated throughout the universal Church, this one belongs especially to us. Rooted in Colorado’s landscape, crafted for our archdiocese and embraced by generations of faithful, Our Lady of the New Advent has become a powerful reminder that Mary always points us toward her Son — and always prepares our hearts to welcome him.
A Colorado Icon
The devotion began nearly three decades ago, when then-Archbishop (now Cardinal) J. Francis Stafford commissioned a new Marian icon for the archdiocese. He turned to Jesuit Father William Hart McNichols, a renowned iconographer and Colorado native, to bring the vision to life.
The resulting icon of Our Lady of the New Advent captures both the universality of Mary’s motherhood and the particular beauty of Colorado. In the image, Mary is robed in Advent purple, the color of longing and preparation. Her hands are lifted in the orans posture — the ancient gesture of intercession — reminding viewers that she prays constantly for the Church and for the world.
From within her shines the Christ Child, radiant and serene, holding a columbine, the state flower of Colorado. Behind Mary, the Rocky Mountains rise out of the plains, anchoring the mystery of the Incarnation in the landscape the people of this archdiocese know so well.
This icon, both local and universal, expresses an essential Advent truth: Mary is the dawn that announces the coming of Christ, the one who was, is and is to come.
A Prayerful Legacy
To accompany the icon, the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga in Virginia Dale composed a prayer that beautifully captures the heart of the devotion. It asks Mary to help the Church stand as a “fiery icon of the New Jerusalem” — a community alive with hope, love and witness even in the darkness of the world.
For decades, this prayer has been cherished by the faithful of Northern Colorado. It has become a hallmark of Advent in the archdiocese and a treasured invocation in times of need.
An Invitation to Pray
On this Feast of Our Lady of the New Advent, December 16, the Archdiocese of Denver invites every Catholic household to honor our Blessed Mother in a special way.
Here are simple ways to enter into the feast:
Pray the official prayer as a family or before Mass.
Reflect on the icon, either online or by visiting a parish that displays it, letting Mary’s posture of intercession inspire your own.
Offer a small act of charity or an extra sacrifice for someone who is suffering.
Spend a few quiet minutes in prayer, asking Mary to prepare your heart for the coming of Christ at Christmas.
This devotion is a beautiful spiritual doorway into the final days of Advent, not simply a local custom. Through Mary’s intercession, we learn how to wait with hope, how to pray with trust and how to welcome Christ with joy.
Prayer to Our Lady of the New Advent
(Composed by the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga)
O Lady and Mother
of the One who was and is
and is to come,
dawn of the New Jerusalem,
we earnestly beseech you,
bring us by your intercession
so to live in love that the Church,
the Body of Christ,
may stand in this world’s dark
as fiery icon
of the New Jerusalem.
We ask you to obtain for us
this mercy through Jesus Christ,
your Son and Lord,
who lives and reigns
with the Father
in the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen.
