The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Catholic Church in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family. We celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family on the last Sunday of the year which this year falls on 29 December. The primary purpose of this feast is to present the Holy Family as a model for Christian families.Today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
We are praying for all families today and invite you to use the following prayer resources and to pray for the intentions of families today.
Pope Francis: Prayer to the Holy Family for the Synod
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
to you we turn with trust.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalized
find ready comfort and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the approaching Synod of Bishops
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.
Amen.
Pope Francis
Pope Saint John Paul II’s Prayer for Families
“May the Holy Family, who had to overcome many painful trials, watch over all the families in the world, especially those who are experiencing difficult situations. May the Holy Family also help men and women of culture and political leaders so that they may defend the institution of the family, based on marriage, and so that they may sustain the family as it confronts the grave challenges of the modern age! . . . may Christian families find the light and strength to be united and to grow as the ‘domestic church’ especially in their diligent participation in the celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday.
Saint John Paul II, – Prayer from Angelus Message for the Feast of the Holy Family 2004
A Child’s Prayer for Parents and Family
O God, bless our home, our family, friends and
neighbours; and give us thankful hearts for all
your mercies. Amen.
Dear God, I am glad that you love daddy and
mammy and me and everybody. I want to love
You, too, and to grow up to be strong and good.
Bless us today and keep us in your care. Dear
Father in heaven, I thank you for Jesus who came
to bring us your love, and to teach us to love one
another; for Mary who carried your Son; for
Joseph who protected them both in the Holy
Family. Help our family to be made perfect in
their example. Amen.
A Child’s Prayer for Parents
Heavenly Father, I thank you for my father and
mother and for our home. Bless us all and help us
to love you and in love to serve one another as
Jesus taught us to do. Give me strength to do
what is right today and to do for others what I
would want them to do for me. Amen.
A Child’s Prayer for their Father
I thank you, Lord, for my father. Grant me to
realise the depth of his love for me so often left
unspoken, and to appreciate his great and
continuous sacrifices.
His fatherly care reflects your divine care; his
strength, your power; his understanding, your
wisdom. He is your faithful servant and image.
Bless him with peace of soul, health of body and
success in his life. Amen.
Stephen Cummins
A Child’s Prayer for their Mother
I thank you, Lord, for my mother. Let me never
forget the depth of her love
for me and to appreciate her many and
continuous sacrifices.
Her motherly care reflects your divine care; her
strength, your power; her understanding, your
wisdom.
Bless her Lord with peace of soul, health of mind
and body and be for her
a source of strength and support. Amen.
Stephen Cummins
Thanks for My Family
Lord Jesus,
You also needed a mother and a father to grow.
Thanks for my parents.
What would my life be without them?
Help me to be always grateful for
the gift which they are to me.
Rev Peter Murphy
For Children (by Parents)
Blessed are you, Lord God,
giver of life and love;
we thank you for the gift of our children;
may they grow before you in wisdom and grace;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Veritas Book of Blessing Prayers
The Family
Blessed are you, Lord our God, giver of life:
give your strength and wisdom to the father of
this family.
Blessed are you, Holy Spirit, bearer of love:
give your compassion and understanding to the
mother of this family.
Blessed are you, Son of God, eternal wisdom:
give your knowledge and truth to the children of
this family.
(Blessed are you, Holy Trinity, eternal and
almighty: shadow with your protecting wings the
absent/departed members of this family.)
Father, we want to live as Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in peace with you and with one another.
By following their example in mutual love and
respect may we come to the joy of our
home in heaven.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May his face shine upon you and be gracious to
you.
May he look upon you with kindness, and give
his peace.
May almighty God bless you, the Father and Son,
+ and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Veritas Book of Blessing Prayers
Prayers for Families
Lord, we thank you for our family.
Bless each one of us in our uniqueness
and let us use our gifts and talents to ensure
unity and love within our family now and always.
Amen.
Stephen Cummins
Lord, you chose to enter the world as a member
of a family. Take care of all families. May they be
sources of love and security for all family
members, where each person is valued and given
the chance to reach their full potential.
Stephen Cummins
For all our families, who welcome Christ into
their lives; that they learn to receive him in the
poor and suffering people of this world.
Stephen Cummins
A Family Prayer
God our Father,
your Son, Jesus Christ,
is our Way, our Truth and our Life.
His way of being human shapes our
understanding of the human person and
of human relationships of every kind.
In a special way it shapes our
understanding of ourselves as a family.
Trying to live as Jesus lived –
respectful, forgiving, helpful and
caring towards one another –
is a daily challenge to every person
in this family of ours.
We are in constant need of your
forgiveness and help. May your
Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus
himself – bind us together in love.
Together, as a family, may we face with
hope and confidence whatever suffering or
sorrow may come our way.
May our hearts be ever open to the needs
of other families and individuals
everywhere in our world.
We make this prayer through
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
ENDS
