Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1)
On January 1, the octave day of Christmas, the Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God, Theotokos, the title solemnly upheld by the Council of Ephesus in 431. Before the calendar reform of 1969 the day was kept as the Circumcision of the Lord, yet its collect has long honored Mary's divine motherhood, and it is still prayed today. The feast begins the civil new year under Our Lady's protection, and since 1968 the Church has also kept January 1 as the World Day of Peace.
Pray the collect below on New Year's Day, at the start of any new beginning, or together with the Sub Tuum Praesidium, the oldest known prayer to the Mother of God. The blessing from the Book of Numbers is the first reading at Mass on this day, and many families pray it over one another as the new year begins.
The Prayer
O God, who, through the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary, hast assured to mankind the blessings of everlasting life, grant, we beseech Thee, that she may plead unceasingly for us through whom our race was found worthy to receive the Author of life. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
A Blessing for the New Year (Numbers 6:24-26)
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee. The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.
Pray also to St. Joseph, who gave the Child the name Jesus on the eighth day (Luke 2:21), and remember Pope St. Sylvester I, whose feast on December 31 closes the old year.
See also: New Year's Prayer, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Prayers, Feast of the Holy Family Prayers, Epiphany Prayer, Christmas Prayer (Traditional), and Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Sources: Collect from the Mass of January 1 in The Roman Missal, translated by Edward A. Pace and John J. Wynne, S.J. (New York: The Home Press, 1916), public domain. Scripture from the Douay-Rheims Bible (Numbers 6:24-26).
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