Preparing for Christmas with Mary - based on the O Antiphons

Why Join?

A unique and ancient preparation for Christmas, the O Antiphons are inspired by messianic titles taken from the book of Isaiah and are sung in the season of Advent in the days immediately preceding Christmas. They are sung both at the Canticle of Mary (Magnificat) at Evening Prayer (Vespers) and at the Alleluia in Mass beginning on December 17th.

Take this opportunity to delve deeper into the mystery of Christ's saving birth by praying with his Holy Mother!

The Programme

Join us for eight days of Marian prayers based on the themes of the eight Norbertine O Antiphons. During this this octave of prayer, eight Norbertine priests will lead you in 8 video  mediations based on the ancient messianic titles for Our Lord and their marian symbolism. All of the meditations are set to the the Schola of St. Michael's abbey chanting each days O antiphon in Latin. 

Day 1: O Sapientia presented by Fr. Miguel Bartres, O. Praem. 
Day 2: O Adonai  presented  Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
Day 3: O Radix Jesse  presented  Fr. Peter Adrian Miller, O. Praem. 
Day 4: O Clavis David  presented  Fr. Edmund Page, O. Praem.
Day 5: O Oriens  presented  Fr. Charbel Grbavac, O. Praem
Day 6: O Rex gentium presented Fr. Frederick Schmit, O. Praem
Day 7: O Emmanuel  presented  Fr. Norbert Wood, O. Praem.
Day 8: O Virgo Virginum presented by Fr. Hugh Barbour, O.Praem.

About us

Immersed in the 900-year tradition of our order, the Norbertine Canons Regular live a common life of liturgical prayer and care for souls. The Norbertine Order was founded by St. Norbert in 1121 A.D. and is one of the oldest Catholic orders in the world. 

St. Michael's Abbey in Orange County, California was founded in 1961 by seven Hungarian priests who fled communist oppression. Today, there are 50 priests and over 40 seminarians serving the community and parishes throughout the Californian dioceses of Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, and Fresno, and also in the dioceses of Springfield Illinois and La Crosse Wisconsin. 

The daily concluding prayer:

The Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him 
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.