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The Feast of the Holy Family falls on Sunday, December 27, 2026 . It celebrates Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In the Catholic calendar, the feast is normally observed on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, the eight-day period beginning with the Nativity of the Lord on December 25 and ending on January 1.

Christmas Day falls on Friday, December 25, 2026 . Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the mystery of the Incarnation: the eternal Son of God truly became man for our salvation.

Gaudete Sunday falls on Sunday, December 13, 2026 . It is the Third Sunday of Advent, when the Church introduces a distinctive note of rejoicing as Christmas draws nearer. Unlike Christmas, Gaudete Sunday has no fixed calendar date because it is determined by the changing dates of Advent each year.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is on December 12 . It recalls the appearances of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego at Tepeyac, near Mexico City, in 1531 and the image associated with his tilma. The feast is especially important across the Americas because its message expressed the Christian faith within the language and culture of the Indigenous peoples of Mexico.

The Feast of Annai Velankanni, or Our Lady of Good Health, falls on September 8 . Celebrations at Velankanni (also spelled Vailankanni), in Tamil Nadu begin on August 29 and continue through September 8. The devotion recalls ancient traditions of Mary appearing with the Child Jesus and is centered at one of India’s most important Christian pilgrimage shrines.

The Immaculate Conception falls on Tuesday, December 8, 2026 . It celebrates the conception of the Virgin Mary, who from the first moment of her existence was preserved from original sin by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. It does not refer to Jesus being conceived in Mary’s womb; that is the virginal conception of Christ celebrated at the Annunciation.

Advent begins on Sunday, November 29, 2026 , and continues until the Church begins the celebration of Christmas on Thursday, December 24, 2026 . It has four Sundays and begins a new Catholic liturgical year. Its starting date changes because Advent begins on the Sunday falling between November 27 and December 3. The season prepares Christians for Christ’s birth and for His return in glory.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2026 falls on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 . This fixed Catholic feast celebrates the birth of Mary, the woman chosen by God to become the Mother of Jesus Christ. Catholics sometimes affectionately call September 8 “Mama Mary’s birthday,” but the Church’s official liturgical title is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Purgatory is one of the most disputed Catholic teachings, partly because it is often described badly. Some explanations force isolated Bible verses to say more than they actually say. Others make purgatory sound like a second chance after death or a place between heaven and hell where a person’s final destiny remains undecided. Neither description represents Catholic teaching fairly.