Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 2027: January 1

On January 1 the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. It is the eighth day (the octave) of Christmas, the oldest Marian feast of the Roman Church, and the World Day of Peace. In 2027 it falls on Friday, January 1, and in the United States it is a holy day of obligation.

On this day the Church honors the truth at the heart of Christmas: the child born of Mary is God the Son made man, so Mary is truly the Mother of God (in Greek, Theotokos). Below you will find the meaning of the feast, the readings, how Catholics begin the new year with Mary, and prayers for the day.

The solemnity at a glance


Date	Friday, January 1, 2027
Rank	Solemnity
Holy day of obligation (USA)	Yes, in 2027 (it does not fall on a Saturday or Monday)
Also	The octave day of Christmas and the World Day of Peace
Color	White
Readings	Numbers 6:22–27; Psalm 67; Galatians 4:4–7; Luke 2:16–21

Why Mary is called the Mother of God

In the fifth century, some argued that Mary should be called only the mother of Christ’s human nature. The Council of Ephesus (431) solemnly declared that she is truly Theotokos, “God-bearer,” because the one she conceived and bore is a single divine Person, the eternal Son of God who became man.

The Catechism explains that the One whom Mary conceived “was none other than the Father’s eternal Son,” and so “the Church confesses that Mary is truly ‘Mother of God’ (Theotokos)” (Catechism 495).

The title is first of all a statement about Jesus: it protects the truth that he is fully God and fully man in one Person. Honoring Mary as Mother of God honors her Son.

A short history of the feast

The Roman Church kept January 1 as a feast of the Mother of God as early as the seventh century. For centuries afterward the day was celebrated as the Circumcision of the Lord, recalling Luke 2:21. In the 1969 calendar reform, Pope St. Paul VI restored January 1 as the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, while the Gospel still recalls the naming of Jesus. In 1968 he also made January 1 the World Day of Peace, and every year the pope publishes a message for it.

The readings for January 1

The readings are the same every year.

First reading: the priestly blessing God gave to Aaron, the perfect blessing for a new year:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the children of Israel, and you shall say to them:
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.
The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee.
The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.
And they shall invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

Second reading: God sent his Son, “made of a woman”:

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law:
That he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons.
And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father.
Therefore now he is not a servant, but a son. And if a son, an heir also through God.

Gospel: the shepherds find Mary and Joseph and the child, and Mary keeps all these words in her heart:

And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child.
And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb.

Prayers for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

We fly to thy patronage (Sub tuum praesidium)

The oldest known prayer to Mary, found on a third-century papyrus from Egypt, already calls her “Mother of God” (Theotokos):

We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God! despise not our prayers in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O thou ever glorious and blessed Virgin.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

The Church’s Marian antiphon for the Christmas season, in Latin and in an old English verse translation:

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quæ pervia cœli porta manes,
Et stella maris, succurre cadenti;
Surgere qui curat populo; tu quæ genuisti,
Natura mirante tuum sanctum genitorem:
Virgo priùs ac posteriús, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Mother of Jesus, heaven’s open gate,
Star of the Sea, support the falling state
Of mortals: thou, whose womb thy maker bore,
And yet, strange thing! a virgin as before;
Who didst from Gabriel’s hail! the news receive,
Repenting sinners by thy prayers relieve.

A prayer for the new year with Mary

Written for this page:

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
at the beginning of this new year we entrust ourselves to you.
You kept all the words of your Son in your heart;
teach us to listen to him and to treasure his word.
Watch over our families, our work and our health,
and obtain for the world the gift of peace.
Lead us through every day of this year to Jesus, your Son. Amen.

The Hail Mary

Of course, the simplest way to honor the Mother of God is the prayer that calls her by that name: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.” See the Hail Mary prayer.

Beginning the new year with prayer

The Church gives two great hymns for the turning of the year, each with a plenary indulgence when prayed publicly under the usual conditions:

On December 31, the Te Deum (“We praise you, O God”), in thanksgiving for the year that is ending.
On January 1, the Veni Creator Spiritus (“Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest”), asking the Holy Spirit to guide the new year:

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come,
From Thy bright, heavenly throne;
Come, take possession of our souls.
And make them all Thine own.

Thou Who art called the Paraclete,
Best gift of God above;
The living spring, the living fire.
Sweet unction and true love.

Thou Who art sevenfold in Thy grace,
Finger of God’s right hand,
His promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand.

Oh! guide our minds with Thy blest light.
With love our hearts inflame;
And with Thy strength, which ne’er decays,
Confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our hellish foe,
True peace unto us bring;
And through all perils lead us safe
Beneath Thy sacred wing.

Through Thee may we the Father know,
Through Thee, th’ eternal Son,
And Thee, the Spirit of them both —
Thrice-blessed Three in one.

All glory to the Father be,
And to His risen Son,
The like to Thee, great Paraclete.
While endless ages run.
Amen.

Other good ways to begin the year: go to Mass (it is a holy day of obligation in many countries), pray for peace, bless your home at the Epiphany, and choose a “saint for the year” from the saint of the day calendar.

Prayers of the Faithful for January 1

Response after each petition: Lord, hear our prayer.

For the Church, that like Mary she may bring Christ to the world and keep his word in her heart, we pray to the Lord.
For peace among nations, on this World Day of Peace, and for an end to war and violence, we pray to the Lord.
For our families at the beginning of this new year, that the Lord may bless them and keep them and give them peace, we pray to the Lord.
For mothers and expectant mothers, that they may be strengthened by the example and prayers of Mary, we pray to the Lord.
For all who begin this year in sickness, grief or loneliness, that they may find comfort in God’s love, we pray to the Lord.
For those who died in the past year, that they may rejoice forever in the presence of God, we pray to the Lord.

These petitions were written for this page. See our prayers of the faithful for more.

Frequently asked questions

Is January 1, 2027 a holy day of obligation?

Yes, in the United States. The obligation is lifted only when January 1 falls on a Saturday or a Monday; in 2027 it falls on a Friday. See holy days of obligation.

Why is Mary called the Mother of God if God has no beginning?

Mary is not the source of the divine nature. She is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God. A mother is the mother of a person, not of a nature, and the person she bore is the eternal Son of God.

Is the Solemnity of Mary the same as the Feast of the Circumcision?

Before 1969, January 1 was kept as the Circumcision of the Lord. Today it is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God; the Gospel still mentions the circumcision and the giving of the name Jesus.

What is the World Day of Peace?

Since 1968 the popes have dedicated January 1 to prayer for peace and published a message for the day. The Prayers of the Faithful at Mass usually include a prayer for peace.

More Christmas season pages

Texts and sources

Scripture: Numbers 6:22–27; Galatians 4:4–7; Luke 2:16–21, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
We fly to thy patronage and Alma Redemptoris Mater (Latin and verse translation): William Gahan, The Complete Manual of Catholic Piety, public domain (Project Gutenberg).
Veni Creator: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Devotions to the Holy Ghost, public domain (Wikisource).
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 495.
Indulgences: Enchiridion Indulgentiarum (1999), grant 26.
The prayer for the new year and the Prayers of the Faithful were written for this page.