The Holy Family
Feast day: December 31 (in 2023)
The Feast of the Holy Family, celebrated this year on December 31, celebrates the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This feast honors their life together, beginning in Bethlehem, and commemorates their family life as a model for all Christian families. It also recognizes their obedience to God’s plan for them in salvation history. The feast has been celebrated since the Second Vatican Council on the first Sunday after Christmas. If there is no Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s Day, it is celebrated Dec. 30.
Collect
O God, who were pleased to give us
the shining example of the Holy Family,
graciously grant that we may imitate them
in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity,
and so, in the joy of your house,
delight one day in eternal rewards.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
