Marian Feast Days: Every Feast of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic Calendar

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The Catholic Church celebrates the Virgin Mary throughout the year, with three solemnities, two feasts and many memorials in her honor. Each one recalls a moment of her life, a truth of faith about her, or a place where she has shown her care for her children. Below is every Marian feast day in the General Roman Calendar in order, with its date, its rank and what it celebrates, plus the movable feasts and the months traditionally dedicated to Mary, with links to prayers for each celebration.

The Marian feast days at a glance

DateCelebrationRank
January 1Mary, the Holy Mother of GodSolemnity
February 2The Presentation of the LordFeast
February 11Our Lady of LourdesOptional memorial
March 25The Annunciation of the LordSolemnity
May 13Our Lady of FatimaOptional memorial
May 31The VisitationFeast
Monday after PentecostMary, Mother of the ChurchMemorial
Saturday after the Sacred HeartThe Immaculate Heart of MaryMemorial
July 16Our Lady of Mount CarmelOptional memorial
August 5Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary MajorOptional memorial
August 15The AssumptionSolemnity
August 22The Queenship of MaryMemorial
September 8The Nativity of MaryFeast
September 12The Most Holy Name of MaryOptional memorial
September 15Our Lady of SorrowsMemorial
October 7Our Lady of the RosaryMemorial
November 21The Presentation of MaryMemorial
December 8The Immaculate ConceptionSolemnity
December 10Our Lady of LoretoOptional memorial
December 12Our Lady of GuadalupeOptional memorial (feast in the USA)

On Saturdays in Ordinary Time that have no other obligatory celebration, the Church may also celebrate an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The three Marian solemnities

  • Mary, the Holy Mother of God (January 1). The oldest Marian feast in Rome, celebrating the truth proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431: Mary is Theotokos, the Mother of God, because her Son is God. It is a holy day of obligation in the United States (except when it falls on a Saturday or Monday). See Mary, Mother of God.
  • The Assumption (August 15). Mary was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory at the end of her earthly life. See the Assumption of Mary.
  • The Immaculate Conception (December 8). Mary was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her conception, in view of the merits of Christ. It is the patronal feast of the United States and a holy day of obligation. See the Immaculate Conception.

The Annunciation (March 25) is a solemnity of the Lord, celebrating the Incarnation, but it is also one of the great Marian days: Mary’s “Be it done to me according to thy word.”

Feasts of Mary’s life

  • The Nativity of Mary (September 8). Her birthday, nine months after the Immaculate Conception. Tradition names her parents as Sts. Joachim and Anne (July 26); see the St. Anne prayer.
  • The Presentation of Mary (November 21). From an ancient tradition that Mary was presented in the Temple as a child.
  • The Visitation (May 31). Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, when she sang the Magnificat:

And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

  • The Presentation of the Lord (February 2). Also called Candlemas and, in the old calendar, the Purification of Mary: forty days after Christmas, Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple.
  • Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15). The day after the Exaltation of the Cross, honoring Mary’s suffering at the foot of the Cross. See the Seven Sorrows Rosary.

Titles and truths about Mary

  • The Queenship of Mary (August 22), a week after the Assumption, crowning her as Queen of heaven and earth.
  • The Most Holy Name of Mary (September 12), introduced after the victory at Vienna in 1683.
  • Mary, Mother of the Church (Monday after Pentecost), added by Pope Francis in 2018.
  • The Immaculate Heart of Mary (Saturday after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart), honoring her heart that “kept all these words.” See the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Feasts of Mary’s appearances and shrines

Many countries add their own Marian feasts, such as Our Lady of Knock in Ireland (August 17).

Months dedicated to Mary

  • May is the month of Mary, with May crownings and devotions.
  • October is the month of the Rosary.
  • August is often dedicated to the Immaculate Heart, and September to Our Lady of Sorrows.

A prayer for any Marian feast

Written for this page:

Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Mother,
on this feast we thank God for the great things he has done in you.
Teach us to say yes to God as you did,
to keep his word in our hearts,
and to follow your Son faithfully to the end. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

How many Marian feast days are there?

The General Roman Calendar has about twenty Marian celebrations: three solemnities (Mary, Mother of God; the Assumption; the Immaculate Conception), two feasts (the Visitation and the Nativity of Mary), and a number of memorials, plus the Annunciation and the Presentation of the Lord, which honor Christ and Mary together.

Which Marian feasts are holy days of obligation?

In the United States: Mary, Mother of God (January 1), the Assumption (August 15) and the Immaculate Conception (December 8). The first two are not obligatory when they fall on a Saturday or Monday; the Immaculate Conception always is.

When is Mary’s birthday?

September 8, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

What is the most important feast of Mary?

The solemnities: the Mother of God, the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception. The Annunciation, the beginning of the Incarnation, is also among the most important days of the year.

More Marian prayers

Sources

  • General Roman Calendar and the Proper Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States.
  • Scripture: Luke 1:46–48, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
  • The prayer was written for this page.