The Feast of the Holy Family

The meaning of the celebration

+ While devotion to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph dates back several centuries, the Feast of the Holy Family was instituted by Pope Leo XIII in 1893.

+ Originally celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany, it is generally celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas (or on December 30, if there is no Sunday).

+ While this feast invites us to continue our reflection on the Mystery of Christmas, it also highlights how the Holy Family of Nazareth is a model for all Christian families.

For prayer and reflection

“Today our gaze on the Holy Family lets us also be drawn into the simplicity of the life they led in Nazareth. It is an example that does our families great good, helping them increasingly to become communities of love and reconciliation, in which tenderness, mutual help, and mutual forgiveness is experienced.”—Pope Francis

Spiritual bonus

On December 30 we also remember Saint Egwin. A Benedictine monk who served as bishop of Worcester from 692 to 711, he was a dedicated pastor who also established the highly regarded Abbey of Evesham. Saint Egwin died on December 30, 717, and was buried in the monastery he founded.

Vocations

To learn about religious communities named in honor of the Mystery of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, visit the links below.

For men:

The Croatian Franciscan Friars of the Custody of the Holy Family: www.crofranciscans.com
The Missionaries of the Holy Family: www.MSF-America.org
The Sons of the Holy Family: www.holyfamilyseminary.com

For women:

The Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Carmel of the Holy Family (Cleveland Heights, OH): www.clevelandcarmel.org
The Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Monastery of the Holy Family (Erie, PA): www.eriecd.org/carmelites
The Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Valparaiso, NE), click, here.
The Sisters of the Holy Family: www.sistersoftheholyfamily.com
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth: www.nazarethcsfn.org
Daughters of Divine Charity (Holy Family Province): www.daughtersofdivinecharity.org
The Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Family of Dubuque: www.osfdbq.org
The Sisters of the Holy Family: www.holyfamilysisters.org

Prayer

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. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.