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The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus
Child Jesus

The Child Jesus, or Divine Infant, represents the infant Jesus until to the age of twelve. At thirteen he was considered to have become adult, in accordance with both the Jewish custom of his own time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries....
, the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)

Mary , usually referred to by Christians as Saint Mary, the Virgin Mary, Holy Mary or the Madonna, was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, identified in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus of Nazareth....
, and St. Joseph.

Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical
Liturgy

A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to their particular traditions. The word may refer to an elaborate formal ritual such as the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy and Mass , or a daily activity such as the Muslim salat and Jewish Jewish services....
 celebration in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family.

Veneration to the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Mgr François de Laval
François de Laval

Fran?ois-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval was the first Roman Catholic bishop of New France and was one of the most influential men of his day. He was appointed when he was 36 years old by Pope Alexander VII....
, a Canadian bishop who founded a Confraternity
Confraternity

A confraternity is a laity, Roman Catholic Church organization created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety....
 in the Family's honor, in ancient parishes near Quebec City
Quebec City

Qu?bec or Quebec, also Quebec City or Qu?bec City , is the Capital of the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region....
.

The feast of the Holy Family was instituted by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII , born Count Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903, succeeding Pope Pius IX....
 in 1893 and until January 1969 was celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave
Octave (liturgical)

"Octave" has two senses in Christian liturgical usage. In the first sense, it is the eighth day after a feast, reckoning inclusively, and so always falls on the same day of the week as the feast itself....
 of the Epiphany
Epiphany (Christian)

File:WiseMenAdorationMurillo.pngAfterfeast: The Feast of Theophany is followed by an eight-day Afterfeast on which the normal fasting laws are suspended....
; that is to say, on whichever day from January 7 through January 13, all inclusive, fell on a Sunday (see General Roman Calendar of 1962
General Roman Calendar of 1962

This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as it was in 1962, following the reforms of Pope John XXIII introduced with his motu proprio of 23 July 1960....
).

It is now observed on the Sunday between Christmas
Christmas

Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
 and New Year's Day
New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the new year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome ....
, in the Octave of Christmas; in years when no such Sunday exists, because both December 25 and the ensuing January 1 are Sundays, it is held on December 30, a Friday in such years.

The feast is not a holy day of obligation
Holy Day of Obligation

In the Roman Catholic Church, Holy Days of Obligation or Holidays of Obligation, less commonly called Feasts of Precept, are the days on which, as of the Code of Canon law states,Eastern Catholic Churches...
, but the obligation to attend Mass holds for the Sunday on which it most frequently falls, as happens for other feasts and solemnities that happen to be celebrated on a Sunday.

When the Feast of the Holy Family was moved to its present date, its previous place in the calendar was taken by the Feast of the Baptism
Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted as a full member of the Christian Church and, in the view of some, as a member of the particular Church in which the baptism is administered....
 of the Lord.

Most Protestant denominations refer to the Sunday that Roman Catholics call the Feast of the Holy Family simply as the First Sunday after Christmas.

Cultural References
A common pious practice among Catholics is to write "J.M.J" at the top of letters and personal notes as a reference to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the members of the Holy Family.

The members of the Holy Family are the patrons of the Congregation of Holy Cross
Congregation of Holy Cross

The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Roman Catholic Church congregation of priests and Monks founded in 1837 by Beatification Basil Moreau, in Le Mans, France....
.






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The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus
Child Jesus

The Child Jesus, or Divine Infant, represents the infant Jesus until to the age of twelve. At thirteen he was considered to have become adult, in accordance with both the Jewish custom of his own time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries....
, the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)

Mary , usually referred to by Christians as Saint Mary, the Virgin Mary, Holy Mary or the Madonna, was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, identified in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus of Nazareth....
, and St. Joseph.

Feast of the Holy Family

The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical
Liturgy

A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to their particular traditions. The word may refer to an elaborate formal ritual such as the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy and Mass , or a daily activity such as the Muslim salat and Jewish Jewish services....
 celebration in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family.

Veneration to the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Mgr François de Laval
François de Laval

Fran?ois-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval was the first Roman Catholic bishop of New France and was one of the most influential men of his day. He was appointed when he was 36 years old by Pope Alexander VII....
, a Canadian bishop who founded a Confraternity
Confraternity

A confraternity is a laity, Roman Catholic Church organization created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety....
 in the Family's honor, in ancient parishes near Quebec City
Quebec City

Qu?bec or Quebec, also Quebec City or Qu?bec City , is the Capital of the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region....
.

The feast of the Holy Family was instituted by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII , born Count Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903, succeeding Pope Pius IX....
 in 1893 and until January 1969 was celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave
Octave (liturgical)

"Octave" has two senses in Christian liturgical usage. In the first sense, it is the eighth day after a feast, reckoning inclusively, and so always falls on the same day of the week as the feast itself....
 of the Epiphany
Epiphany (Christian)

File:WiseMenAdorationMurillo.pngAfterfeast: The Feast of Theophany is followed by an eight-day Afterfeast on which the normal fasting laws are suspended....
; that is to say, on whichever day from January 7 through January 13, all inclusive, fell on a Sunday (see General Roman Calendar of 1962
General Roman Calendar of 1962

This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as it was in 1962, following the reforms of Pope John XXIII introduced with his motu proprio of 23 July 1960....
).

It is now observed on the Sunday between Christmas
Christmas

Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
 and New Year's Day
New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the new year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome ....
, in the Octave of Christmas; in years when no such Sunday exists, because both December 25 and the ensuing January 1 are Sundays, it is held on December 30, a Friday in such years.

The feast is not a holy day of obligation
Holy Day of Obligation

In the Roman Catholic Church, Holy Days of Obligation or Holidays of Obligation, less commonly called Feasts of Precept, are the days on which, as of the Code of Canon law states,Eastern Catholic Churches...
, but the obligation to attend Mass holds for the Sunday on which it most frequently falls, as happens for other feasts and solemnities that happen to be celebrated on a Sunday.

When the Feast of the Holy Family was moved to its present date, its previous place in the calendar was taken by the Feast of the Baptism
Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted as a full member of the Christian Church and, in the view of some, as a member of the particular Church in which the baptism is administered....
 of the Lord.

Most Protestant denominations refer to the Sunday that Roman Catholics call the Feast of the Holy Family simply as the First Sunday after Christmas.

Cultural References


A common pious practice among Catholics is to write "J.M.J" at the top of letters and personal notes as a reference to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the members of the Holy Family.

The members of the Holy Family are the patrons of the Congregation of Holy Cross
Congregation of Holy Cross

The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Roman Catholic Church congregation of priests and Monks founded in 1837 by Beatification Basil Moreau, in Le Mans, France....
. The Holy Cross Sisters are dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Immaculate Heart of Mary originally The Sacred Heart of Mary is a Catholic devotionsal name used by Roman Catholics and some Anglo-Catholics to refer to the physical heart of Mary, the mother of Jesus as a symbol of Blessed Virgin Mary's interior life, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her vi...
, the Holy Cross Brothers to St. Joseph and the Priests of Holy Cross to the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart

The Sacred Heart is a religious devotion to Jesus's physical heart as the representation of the divine love for humanity.This devotion is predominantly used in the Roman Catholic Church, and also in strains of the Anglican Church and some Lutheran Churches....
.

See also

  • Flight into Egypt
    Flight into Egypt

    See: Chronology of JesusThe flight into Egypt is a bible event described in the Gospel of Matthew , in which Saint Joseph fled to Ancient Egypt with his wife Mary and infant son Jesus after a Biblical Magi because they learn that King Herod intends to kill the infants of that area....
  • [www.rosaryworkshop.com/PRAYERS-unborn.html Holy Family Prayers for the Unborn]