The Christmas Season Continues

by Fr. John Granato  |  01/04/2026  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

Continuing with last week's bulletin letter, we are still in the Christmas season. The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1st was the end of the Christmas octave. The Christmas season has two more weeks, normally, after the New Year. The Solemnity of the Epiphany is celebrated in many countries on January 6th, the 12th day of Christmas, and for many cultures and for many centuries is a more important feast day than Christmas.

After the January 1st Holy Day Mass for our Blessed Mother of God, we celebrate n January 2nd the memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. January 3rd will be the very important feast day of the Holy Name of Jesus, which according to the Law of Moses, should be on January 1st. Until the reforms of the Mass in 1970, January 1st was the Circumcision of the Lord. It is at the circumcision that the male child is given his name.

The next three feast days on January 4th, 5th and 6th are all in the Roman calendar for the United States, meaning that these saints have a connection with our country and are not normally celebrated in other countries. January 4th is Elizabeth Ann Seton, January 5th is St. John Neumann, and January 6th (since Epiphany in the United States is moved to the Sunday after the Christmas octave) is St. Andre Bessette. Epiphany will be celebrated on whatever day it falls after the octave so we will celebrate through the years Epiphany anytime between January 2nd and January 8th.

The Baptism of the Lord will be celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany, unless Epiphany falls on the 8th, whereby the Baptism will be celebrated on the following Monday. The only other saint commemorated before Ordinary Time is St. Raymond of Penyfort, a Dominican at the time of St. Dominic himself. All of this is to say that until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, we as Catholics are encouraged to still play Christmas music and Christmas decorations and trees up in our homes. Enjoy your final days of this Christmas season.

God bless!