In the Archdiocese of Denver, Dec. 16 is the feast of Our Lady of the New Advent. The icon was created 29 years ago by Jesuit Father William Hart McNichols for the archdiocese at the request of then-archbishop, now Cardinal J. Francis Stafford. Father McNichols, 64, is the son of former Colorado Gov. Stephen and Marjory McNichols.
In the Our Lady of the New Advent icon, Mary is dressed in purple, the color for Advent, and holds her hands up in the orans posture of prayer in a gesture of intercession. The Christ Child, who shines from within her, holds a columbine: the state flower for Colorado, in his left hand. Behind the expectant mother, the Rocky Mountains rise up out of the Colorado plains.
The Our Lady of the New Advent prayer, included below, was composed by the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga located in Virginia Dale, Colo., to complement this icon that holds a special place for the faithful of the Archdiocese of Denver.
Prayer to Our Lady of the New Advent 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.
*Article updated on December 15, 2022