By LORETTA FULTON

Local and area Catholic churches will be have penance services during Advent, which begins Sunday.

Advent marks the beginning of a new church year and is the season leading to Christmas. The final Sunday of Advent will be Dec. 22. The season often is observed with wreaths, which feature a candle to be lit each Sunday, or calendars that mark the days through the season.

Read complete story by Loretta Fulton in the Reporter-News

Photo credit: “Celtic Franciscan Rosary” by Alan Creech is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0