Beginning the year with God is one of the most beautiful customs of Catholic families. Before the toasts, the hugs, and the fireworks, it is worth pausing for a few minutes to give thanks for what we have lived, ask forgiveness for what went wrong, and place what lies ahead in God's hands. Here you will find New Year's prayers to pray alone or as a family: for saying goodbye to the year on December 31, at midnight, on January 1, and to ask for health, work, and peace.
End-of-year prayer of thanksgiving
This can be prayed on the afternoon or evening of December 31, before dinner.
Lord my God, I have come to the end of this year, and I want to begin by giving you thanks.
Thank you for life, for my family, and for the people you placed on my path. Thank you for our daily bread, for work, and for the health you gave me. Thank you too for what was hard, because you did not leave me alone in those moments either.
I place in your hands those who joined our family this year and those who went home to you. What I do not understand I give to you, and what brought me joy I thank you for. All of it passed under your fatherly gaze. Amen.
Prayer for forgiveness before the year ends
Father of mercy, I do not want to carry into the new year what weighs me down.
Forgive me for the times I did not seek you, for the words that hurt, and for the good I could have done and did not do. I ask your forgiveness for the time I wasted on resentment, on complaints, and on things that did not matter.
Help me to forgive from the heart those who have hurt me. If there is a call I should make or a reconciliation waiting, give me the courage to take the first step. I want to begin again with a light heart. Amen.
If there is a recent hurt in your home, this prayer for peace after an argument may help.
New Year's family prayer at midnight
Pray this together, standing, just before the hugs or as the clock strikes twelve. Any member of the family can lead it.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, you are the master of time. Today we consecrate to you this year that is beginning, with all its days, its joys, and its difficulties.
Stay in this house. Bless each one of us: the children, the young, the old, and those far away. Teach us to love one another, to listen to one another, and to forgive one another. May no one in our family walk alone this year.
Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, and Saint Joseph, watch over our home. Amen.
Finish with an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be. Then parents can trace the Sign of the Cross on their children's foreheads, as a blessing for the year.
The blessing of Aaron for the new year
This is the biblical text the Church proclaims at Mass on January 1. God himself taught it to Moses so that the priests could bless the people, and it is a good way to bless one another as a family at the start of the year:
The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Nm 6:24-26)
Prayer to Mary, Mother of God, on January 1
Holy Mary, Mother of God, the Church begins the year by celebrating you.
You kept in your heart all that you lived, what you understood and what you did not. Teach me to look at this year in that way: without fear, with patience, and with trust in God.
I entrust to you my plans, my family, and my worries. When hard days come, accompany me as you accompanied your Son. When good days come, remind me to give thanks.
Mother, bring me closer to Jesus each day. Amen.
Prayer for a good year: health, work, and peace
Good Father, I bring you what we need for this year that is beginning.
We ask you for health of body and soul, and strength for the sick in our family.
We ask you for dignified work and our daily bread. Help us use well what you give us, and share with those who have less.
We ask you for peace in our home, our neighborhood, and our country. Comfort peoples living with war and violence, and make us builders of peace.
And above all we ask you for faith, so that we may seek you first and trust that everything else will be given to us besides. Amen.
To begin each week with the same trust, pray this prayer to start the week with faith and peace.
Prayer for someone who had a hard year
Lord, this year has hurt. There has been loss, illness, trouble, or loneliness, and I do not reach midnight wanting to celebrate.
You know that, and I do not have to pretend before you. I give you my tiredness and my unanswered questions. I do not ask you to explain it to me. I ask you not to let go of my hand.
Give me enough hope for today, and tomorrow give it to me again. Amen.
If this is your situation, this prayer for times of loneliness and discouragement may also keep you company.
Christian resolutions for the new year
You do not need many. Choose one or two you can keep:
- Pray every day, even if only five minutes when you get up.
- Go to Mass on Sundays, and go to confession more often.
- Read a little of the Bible, for example the Gospel of the day.
- Reconcile with someone you have drifted away from.
- Share part of what you have with those in need.
- Spend screen-free time with your family.
What the Church celebrates on December 31 and January 1
- December 31: it is traditional to sing the Te Deum, the ancient hymn of thanksgiving, to thank God for the year that is ending. Many parishes sing it at evening Mass or during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
- January 1: this is the solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, within the Octave of Christmas. Since 1968 it has also been the World Day of Peace, at the initiative of Saint Paul VI. The Gospel of the day tells of the shepherds' visit and of the Child being given the name Jesus (Lk 2:16-21).
It is also customary to begin the year by calling on the Holy Spirit with the hymn Veni Creator. You can ask for his light with the prayer to the Holy Spirit.
Frequently asked questions
What prayer do you say on New Year's? None is required. The simplest thing is to give thanks for the year that is ending, ask forgiveness, and consecrate the new year to God with an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be.
Do I have to go to Mass on January 1? It is a holy day of obligation in the Church's general law, but bishops' conferences can adapt this, so it is not obligatory in some countries or in some years. Ask at your parish and, if you can, go anyway: it is the best way to begin the year.
What is the Te Deum, and when is it sung? It is a very old hymn of praise and thanksgiving. It is sung at great moments of gratitude and, by tradition, on December 31.
Can a Christian take part in New Year's rituals? Dinners, toasts, and hugs are joyful customs with no problem at all. It is different to believe that a ritual, the color of your clothes, or an amulet will bring luck or money. The future does not depend on those things. It is in God's hands, and he is the one to ask.
What Bible verse can I read at New Year's? Besides the blessing in Numbers 6:24-26, good choices are Psalm 121 and Lamentations 3:22-23, which says that the Lord's mercies are renewed each morning.
Closing prayer
Lord, this new year is a gift from you. I do not know what it will bring, but I know you will be in every one of its days. Teach me to live them with you. Amen.
Christmas continues after January 1. To keep praying as a family, see our Christmas prayers and our Epiphany prayers.