Olivia Cyrus, Contributing Photographer

David Rivera DIV ’21 eagerly took on leading this year’s Saint Thomas More Christmas festivities. Yet, when it came to the Advent wreath-making event, he admitted he was a little sheepish about his own wreath-making abilities.

The Advent wreath —  pink and purple candles perched atop an ovate bed of evergreen leaves — is created and lit in the weeks preceding Christmas as a symbol of hope, peace, joy and God’s blessings. Just days ago, Rivera, assistant chaplain at Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center, led an Advent wreath-making workshop, one of the many Advent and Christmas-time celebrations led by religious groups on Yale’s campus. Rivera said that though he is not good at making wreaths, he found himself in awe of his fellow churchgoers’ creations and excited by the greater meaning of the event.

“Every other one looked better than mine, and they were incredible and amazing,” said Rivera. “It was a social event that had 50 or 60 people in attendance, and it marked the beginning of a season of carols, hot chocolate and Christmas social events.”

Over the next few Sundays, Saint Thomas More will host masses and liturgies to celebrate Advent. In the coming weeks, Yale Students for Christ, Yale Christian Union Lux, United Church of Westville, Black Church at Yale and other student groups will hold Christmas parties, worship services and ministry meetings.

To spread holiday cheer beyond Yale’s campus and throughout the greater New Haven area, the Catholic chapel will put up its annual “giving tree,” dressed with ornament-like wish lists from local organizations. Students and community members can select a list and donate to these associations. 

Rivera believes the holiday season is a complex one to navigate with many students preoccupied with finals, captivated by anxiety and eager to indulge in winter recess.

“It is one of the most joyous times of preparation,” Rivera said. “But that stands in really stark contrast to what’s going on on campus, which is one of the two absolute busiest times here. So, of course, we have our normal Catholic mission of Advent preparing, but we also have a special role here at Yale to be a countercultural space to take a deep breath during this otherwise stressful time.”

Rivera hopes that Yale students will also attend the yearly “big, major” Christmas party, which also celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe and will feature a mariachi band.

On Monday, Dec. 9, at 8:30 p.m. in Branford Dining Hall, Yale Students for Christ will host their Christmas celebration. The theme for the evening is joy. Toni Oluwatade ’24 says that she is particularly excited to host the festivity this year and help foster community amongst both religious and nonreligious Yale students. 

“I think getting to pause is such a good reminder that you can have joy in the midst of so much suffering,” Oluwatade said. “What makes this Christmas party special is that people bring their friends and suitemates, and I get to meet people on campus who might not otherwise get to all be in one room together. It’s something that’s really special in a time where there is so much division and disunity.”

This Friday, Christian Union Lux will celebrate the Christmas season through testimony. Several community members will describe “how God has been moving in their lives,” and the event will recognize the importance of the Advent season, said Demilade Omolade ’26, a student leader with Yale Christian Union Lux. 

Recognizing the ritualistic gift-giving that pervades the winter holidays, Oluwatade and other group leaders will host a Secret Santa event in conjunction with Leadership Appreciation. 

In it, each member and leader is randomly paired with one another and asked to bring gifts to celebrate the season through fun and recognize the year-long work of student and staff leaders.

“We’ll often be accentuating what we believe the reason for the season is,” Oluwatade said. “While there is the excitement of being with family and receiving gifts, that in the heart of it, you don’t miss the true crux of the matter: to encourage people and keep your eyes firmly on Jesus.”

Next Tuesday, members of Christian Union Lux will also participate in an inter-ministry worship night with other religious groups on campus.

Dr. OrLando Yarborough III ’06 GRD ’10 GRD ’14, pastor of the Black Church at Yale, will provide the primary sermon for the multi-faith gathering. 

“No one has really known that [Dr. Yarborough] was a resource as a mentor, except for the Black Christian community,” worship team leader Lena Jones ’25 said. “And I wanted to change that.”

She petitioned for Yarborough to speak at the event and prayed that if granted the opportunity, it would work for his schedule. She says that last Christmas, God put a message in Yarborough’s heart prior to preaching and led to several inspired attendees asking for his mentorship.

The Black Church at Yale, or BCAY, recently began its seasonal festivities through a blanket-making event for a shelter in New England. The church plans to partner with Christian Community Action to donate items to entities in need. BCAY will also host a Christmas party after their upcoming church service this Sunday to promote fellowship amongst members before the semester’s conclusion.

Jisu Oh ’27, a student leader with the United Church of Westville, hopes that, in all, any Yale student curious about Christianity or just looking to engage socially on campus will connect with Yale’s plethora of religious groups.

“Everything we do is always open to anybody, regardless of their faith,” Oh said. “I hope that we can serve as a place for people to feel safe and like they belong, regardless of wherever they are within their faith journey. We have these events to create a place where everybody is truly willing to be kind and considerate of other people.”

When asked to relay a message on behalf of Yale’s religious communities to students during this season, Oh kept it simple.

“Just like — Merry Christmas,” she said.

Yale has 20 official Christian student groups.