Catholic New Year's Day

Catholic New Year’s Day is celebrated at the Solemnity of Mary, the liturgical day of the Blessed Virgin. It is also known as the Octave (8th) day of the Nativity. The feast is a celebration of Mary’s motherhood firstly, but most churches also reflect on the New Year as a time of growth, change, and transition. Interestingly. In the 13th and 14th century, January 1 was known as the feast of the circumcision of the Lord. The mention of the circumcision was removed in 1960 when the Pope revised the calendar. New Year’s Day is a Holy Day of obligation, on which the faithful are required to attend mass.

While the feast day is dedicated to Mary, many Catholics utilize New Year’s Eve as a time to reflect upon their faith in the previous year; Catholic New Year’s Day is a wonderful time to offer prayers for the coming year.

The transition between years is a great time for individuals to review the main areas of life, i.e. career, relationships, church life, personal growth. Some use this review as a basis for resolutions. Others don’t really believe in resolutions. Either way, a review of life can help people think about the ways in which God can be invited and involved more, whether a formal resolution or not. Catholics can share these with your priest or a loved one and they can be offered to God in prayer.

Catholic New Year's Day Prayers and Bible Verses

There are also some very inspirational bible verses for the New Year, such as this one:

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

We wish you a joyful and faithful 2015.

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