The Holy Family is the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, who lived in Nazareth. God wanted his Son to grow up in a simple home, with work, tiredness, journeys, and worries like those of any household. That is why today's families can turn to them with confidence. Here you will find prayers to the Holy Family for your home, your children, married couples, and families who are suffering, along with when the feast is celebrated.
Prayer to the Holy Family for our home
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you know what it is to live as a family.
You knew the joy of a birth and the anguish of having nowhere to sleep. You lived the fear of fleeing to another country, the work of every day, and the worry of parents searching for their lost son.
Today we entrust our house to you. May there be prayer, respect, and affection in it. May we speak without wounding, ask forgiveness without pride, and forgive without keeping score. May no one feel alone under this roof, and may the door be open to whoever needs it.
Holy Family of Nazareth, make our home a little Nazareth. Amen.
Traditional invocation to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
This short prayer has been prayed for generations, especially at night:
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
Consecration of the family to the Holy Family
This can be prayed on the feast day, or when blessing a new home, with the whole family gathered before an image.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, today our family consecrates itself to you.
Jesus, Son of God, we acknowledge you as the center of this home. We want to listen to your word and live according to your Gospel.
Mary, our mother, we give you our hearts. Teach us your tenderness, your patience, and your way of trusting God.
Saint Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family, we entrust to you our work, our home, and our needs. Protect us as you protected Jesus and Mary.
We promise to pray together, to care for one another, and to help those in need. In joy and in difficulty, we are yours. Amen.
Then you can pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, and bless the house with the prayer to bless the home and family.
Prayer of married couples to the Holy Family
Mary and Joseph, you built a home in the midst of difficulty, trusting one another and both trusting in God.
Watch over our marriage. May we never grow used to loving each other halfway. On tired days may we know how to listen, and on angry days may we not let the sun go down without talking.
Help us remember why we chose each other. Renew our love. And you, Lord Jesus, be always the center of our covenant. Amen.
Prayer of parents for their children
Jesus, you grew "in wisdom and age and favor" beside Mary and Joseph (Lk 2:52). I bring my children before you.
Bless their bodies and souls. Watch over them when I am not with them. Give them good friends, a clean heart, and a faith that does not go out.
Mary and Joseph, you suffered for three days searching for Jesus in Jerusalem. Accompany parents who are worried today about a child who has left home or left the faith. Teach me to guide without imposing, to correct without humiliating, and to let go when the time comes. Amen.
You can continue with this Christian prayer for my children and this prayer for children at school.
Prayer for families who are suffering
Holy Family, you had to flee to Egypt. Remember the families who are having a hard time today.
Accompany those separated by migration, those without a home or work, and those who have lost a child, a father, or a mother. Comfort those going through a separation, and protect those who live in fear in their own homes: may they find help and get out of danger.
No family is perfect, and none is outside your care. Amen.
When is the feast of the Holy Family?
The feast is celebrated on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, that is, the Sunday between December 26 and 31. If there is no Sunday on those days, because Christmas falls on a Sunday, it is celebrated on December 30. In 2026 it falls on Sunday, December 27.
Pope Benedict XV extended the feast to the whole Church in 1921, after Leo XIII promoted this devotion at the end of the nineteenth century. With the reform of the calendar after the Second Vatican Council, it moved to its current date, close to Christmas.
The Gospel at Mass changes with the liturgical cycle:
- Year A: the flight into Egypt and the return to Nazareth (Mt 2:13-15, 19-23).
- Year B, the one in 2026: the presentation of Jesus in the temple (Lk 2:22-40).
- Year C: Jesus lost and found in the temple (Lk 2:41-52).
What the Holy Family teaches us
- The value of ordinary life. Jesus spent most of his life in Nazareth, working and living at home. God is also in the kitchen, in homework, and in the workshop.
- Trust in God. Mary and Joseph did not understand everything, but they relied on him. The Gospel says that Mary kept these things in her heart.
- Caring for one another. Joseph protects, Mary accompanies, and Jesus grows up obedient to his parents (Lk 2:51).
- Faith lived together. They went to Jerusalem every year for Passover (Lk 2:41). Family prayer is also learned by seeing it.
To pray at home, you can begin with the family rosary.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Holy Family? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, who lived in Nazareth of Galilee.
How do you pray to the Holy Family? With the confidence you have in speaking to your own family. You can pray any of these prayers, light a candle before their image, or consecrate your home on their feast day.
Can I pray to them for a family with problems? Yes, it is highly recommended. The Holy Family knew poverty, persecution, and fear. If there is violence in your home, prayer does not replace asking for help: reach out to someone you trust, your parish, or the authorities.
Closing prayer
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, thank you for showing us that a simple home can be a holy place. Stay with us. Amen.
During these same days, you can keep praying with our Christmas prayers and New Year's prayers. And to know better the one who cared for this family, pray the prayer to Saint Joseph.