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

“May Nazareth serve as a model of what the family should be. May it show us the family’s holy and enduring character and exemplify its basic function in society: a community of love and sharing, beautiful for the problems it poses and the rewards it brings, in sum, the perfect setting for rearing children – and for this there is no substitute.”—Pope Saint Paul VI

Religious Life

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.