It's a day of holy obligation. January 1 marks the Solemnity of Mary, a day the honors the role of Mary as the Mother of God, according to the Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of America.

As a Catholic feast day, Jan. 1 has historically brought ... the Church observes Jan. 1 as the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. This is not, however, an observance pulled out of whole cloth.

Listen On the first day of 2025, Pope Francis warned Christians against “imagining or inventing a God in the abstract” during his Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.

Pope Francis celebrated first vespers for the vigil of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God ... day, to live as a brother and sister to my neighbor,” he said. At the conclusion of his homily ...

Even as an old woman, my mother ... God’s relationship with us. In her person, Mary is both God’s utter faithfulness and complete freedom. But there is still a hint of the old ways about this day.