The most notable saints and Catholic holidays of the liturgical calendar in January 2025

This coming year is a special year with the celebration of the Ordinary Jubilee 2025. To help us live it with more devotion, each month we will share the celebrations of the best-known saints and the most important dates of the Catholic calendar.

These are the ones for the month of January:

January 1: Solemnity of Saint Mary, Mother of God

The first day of the calendar year is also a day of joy for the Catholic Church: the Christian world celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Mary, Mother of God. From the first day of the year, the Church entrusts itself to the maternal care of Mary.

January 3: Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

This festival commemorates the divine appointment of Jesus, revealed in dreams to Saint Joseph. Obeying the angel, Joseph married Mary and, when the child was born, named him “Jesus.” This name, which means “God saves,” encapsulates the redemptive mission of Christ. As Saint Paul states: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and in the underworld, and every tongue confess that Christ Jesus is LORD to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11). Thus, this celebration honors not only the name of Jesus, but also his divinity and central role in the Christian faith.

January 6: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

This solemnity, generally celebrated on January 6, can be moved to the nearest Sunday (in 2025, in many places it will be January 5). It commemorates the “manifestation” of the expected Messiah, the Child Jesus, to all humanity, represented by the wise men of the East who came to Bethlehem to worship him. This festival symbolizes the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles and the universality of salvation.

January 12: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

The Baptism of the Lord marks the opening of heavenly doors for those who receive baptism into Christ. This Epiphany reveals Jesus as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, manifesting the One and Triune God. In this event, Jesus is shown in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, revealing the Trinitarian nature of God and the beginning of his public ministry.

January 21: Memory of Saint Agnes

“Memory of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr, who while still a teenager, offered in Rome the supreme testimony of faith, consecrating with martyrdom the title of chastity. He obtained victory over his age and over the tyrant, aroused great admiration before the people and acquired greater glory before the Lord. Today the day of his burial is celebrated” (III/IV centuries) (Roman Martyrology).

January 22: Memory of Blessed Laura Vicuña

“In Junín de los Andes, in Argentina, blessed Laura Vicuña, a virgin, who was born in the city of Santiago de Chile, was a student at the Institute of Mary Help of Christians and, to obtain the conversion of her mother, at the age of thirteen she offered to God his life (1904)” (Roman Martyrology).

January 24: Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church

“Memory of Saint Francis de Sales, bishop of Geneva and doctor of the Church. A true shepherd of souls, he brought many brothers who had separated back into Catholic communion and with his writings he taught Christians devotion and love for God. “He founded, together with Saint Joan of Chantal, the Order of the Visitation, and in Lyon he humbly gave his soul to God on December 28, 1621” (Roman Martyrology).

January 25: Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

“Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, apostle. Traveling towards Damascus, while he was still plotting death threats against the disciples of the Lord, the glorious Jesus himself revealed himself to him on the road, choosing him so that, filled with the Holy Spirit, he would announce the Gospel of salvation to the Gentiles. He suffered many difficulties for the name of Christ” (Roman Martyrology).

January 28: Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church

“Memory of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest of the Order of Preachers and doctor of the Church, who, endowed with great intelligence, with his speeches and writings communicated extraordinary wisdom to others. Called to participate in the Second Ecumenical Council of Lyon by Blessed Pope Gregory to

Toulouse, France (1274)” (Roman Martyrology).

January 31: Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priest

“Memory of Saint John Bosco, priest, who, after a harsh childhood, was ordained a priest and in the city of Turin, in Italy, dedicated himself with all his strength to the formation of adolescents. He founded the Salesian Society and, with the help of Saint Mary

Dominica Mazzarello, the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, to teach trades to youth and instruct them in the Christian life. Full of virtues and merits, he flew to heaven on this day in the city of Turin, in Italy (1888)” (Roman Martyrology).