PONTIFICAL DECREE
Establishment of the Feast
of the Marriage of
Saint Joseph and Mary Most Holy
(Draft: Automatic translation)
PREFACE
“Mary, being betrothed to Joseph, was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit before they came to live together. Joseph, her husband, […] who was a just man, saw an angel of the Lord in a dream who said to him: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you shall name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:18-21).
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Entering her, he said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you”. At these words she was troubled and wondered what such a greeting meant. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Behold, you will conceive a son, you will give birth to him and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.‘ Mary said to the angel, ’How can this be, since I do not know man?‘ The angel answered her, ’The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be holy and will be called the Son of God. See, even Elizabeth, your relative, has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her, who was called barren. Nothing is impossible with God.‘ Mary said, ’Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her” (Lk 1:26-38).
The husband and wife united in Christian marriage become ‘one flesh’ and are called to embody the Holy Example of St Joseph and Mary Most Holy, to live in totality the Love and Fidelity to God and to their spouse.
The celebration of the liturgical feast of the Marriage of Saint Joseph and Mary Most Holy becomes an opportunity for every married Christian to renew their ‘yes’ to God and to their spouse, to live and make the Sacrament of Marriage ever more alive.
PROCLAMATION
As Pontiff of the Universal Christian Church of the New Jerusalem
I DECREE
The establishment of the Feast of the
Marriage of St Joseph and Mary Most Holy
to be celebrated on 23 January of each liturgical year
January 26, 2026
The Pontiff
Samuele
