Feast of the Holy Family 2026 (December 27) and Prayers

The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas; in 2026 it falls on Sunday, December 27. In the middle of the Christmas season the Church looks at the home in Nazareth where the Son of God grew up, and asks Jesus, Mary and Joseph to bless every family. Below are the date and meaning of the feast, the Mass readings for 2026, Pope Leo XIII’s five prayers to the Holy Family, a prayer for families and a blessing for parents to give their children.

When is the Feast of the Holy Family?

The feast is kept on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, the Sunday between December 26 and December 31. When Christmas falls on a Sunday and there is no Sunday in the octave, it is celebrated on Friday, December 30.

2026: Sunday, December 27.
2027: Sunday, December 26.
2028: Sunday, December 31.

Pope Leo XIII promoted devotion to the Holy Family in the 1890s, and Pope Benedict XV extended the feast to the whole Church in 1921.

The Mass readings for December 27, 2026

First reading: Sirach 3:2–6, 12–14, on honoring father and mother.
Responsorial psalm: Psalm 128, “Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.”
Second reading: Colossians 3:12–21, on the virtues of the Christian home.
Gospel: Luke 2:22–40, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, ending with the Holy Family’s return to Nazareth.

Part of the first reading in the Douay-Rheims Bible (Ecclesiasticus 3):

For God hath made the father honourable to the children: and seeking the judgment of the mothers, hath confirmed it upon the children.
He that loveth God, shall obtain pardon for his sins by prayer, and shall refrain himself from them, and shall be heard in the prayer of days.
And he that honoureth his mother is as one that layeth up a treasure.
He that honoureth his father shall have joy in his own children, and in the day of his prayer he shall be heard.
He that honoureth his father shall enjoy a long life: and he that obeyeth the father, shall be a comfort to his mother.

From the second reading:

Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience:
Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.
But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection:
And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body: and be ye thankful.

See the Sunday Mass readings for every Sunday of the year.

Pope Leo XIII’s prayers to the Holy Family

In 1890 Pope Leo XIII indulgenced these five short prayers, each followed by an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be. They make a beautiful family devotion for the feast, one prayer said by each member of the family. From The Raccolta (1910):

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless us and grant us the grace to love the Church, as we ought, above every other earthly thing, and always to show forth our love by deeds.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless us and grant us the grace without fear or human respect openly to profess, as we ought, the faith which was given to us in baptism.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless us and grant us the grace to share, as we ought, in the defence and propagation of the Faith, when duty calls, whether by word or by the sacrifice of our fortunes and our lives.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless us and grant us the grace to love one another, as we ought, and to live together in perfect harmony of thought, will and action, under the rule and guidance of our pastors.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless us and grant us the grace to conform our lives, as we ought, to the precepts of God and of the Church, so as to live always in that charity which they set forth.

And a short prayer from Father Lasance’s With God (1911):

Grant us, O Lord Jesus, faithfully to imitate the examples of Thy Holy Family, so that in the hour of our death, in the company of Thy glorious Virgin Mother and St. Joseph, we may deserve to be received by Thee into eternal tabernacles.

A prayer for our family

Written for this page:

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, holy family of Nazareth,
look with love on our family.
Make our home a place of prayer, patience and joy,
where every person is welcomed and forgiven.
Protect us from every danger, heal our wounds,
and bring us all together one day to the home of the Father. Amen.

See also the Catholic prayer for family.

A parents’ blessing for children

On the Feast of the Holy Family, parents can bless each child by tracing a small cross on the forehead and saying:

May God bless you and keep you,
may Jesus, Mary and Joseph watch over you,
and may you grow, like Jesus, in wisdom, age and grace. Amen.

This blessing was written for this page, inspired by Luke’s description of Jesus at Nazareth:

And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.

Ways to celebrate

Go to Mass together as a family, and ask the priest for a blessing of families if your parish offers one.
Renew your marriage promises. Many parishes invite married couples to renew their vows on this feast.
Look at old family photos and pray for your parents, grandparents and ancestors, living and dead.
Visit a grandparent or an elderly person who lives alone.
Set a family resolution for the new year: a daily prayer, a weekly family meal, or a monthly act of service.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Feast of the Holy Family in 2026?

Sunday, December 27, 2026.

Is the Feast of the Holy Family a holy day of obligation?

It falls on a Sunday in most years, so Mass is required as on every Sunday. When it is moved to December 30, it is not a holy day of obligation.

Why do Catholics celebrate the Holy Family?

Because Jesus chose to be born and to grow up in a human family, sanctifying family life. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are the model and protectors of every Christian family.

Who is in the Holy Family?

Jesus, the Son of God; the Virgin Mary, his mother; and St. Joseph, Mary’s husband and the foster father of Jesus.

More prayers for families

Texts and sources

Prayers to the Holy Family: The Raccolta, or Collection of Indulgenced Prayers and Good Works (London: Burns and Oates, 1910), no. 458, public domain (archive.org); F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), public domain (Wikisource).
Reading citations for December 27, 2026: USCCB lectionary calendar.
Scripture: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 3:3–7; Colossians 3:12–15; Luke 2:51–52, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The family prayer and blessing were written for this page.