JAY — Men worked from ladders to hang a 6-foot Advent wreath from the ceiling of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church on Monday afternoon.

Parishioner Amedee Maurais said he lost a few nights of sleep trying figure out how to get the wreath suspended from chains and hung above the floor of the church.

Workers started at 2 p.m. Monday and were leveling the 100- to 150-pound wreath from step ladders at about 4:30 p.m.

Parishioners usually put up an Advent wreath each year but this year decided to make it big, Father Tom Lequin said.

They made a plywood frame and wrapped it in imitation evergreen garland adorned with pine cones. Then, four candles were put into holders made by Maurais. Three of the candles have purple bands and one had pink, a traditional Advent arrangement.

One candle will be lit each weekend to mark the four Sundays leading up to Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

There will be a brief ceremony at the 4 p.m. mass Saturday and the 8:30 a.m. mass Sunday, Lequin said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

Editor’s Note: The story was modified after publication to include Father Tom Lequin’s proper title.