The Liturgical Feast of the Holy Spouses

In the Liturgical Calendar of the Catholic Church for the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) and the Liturgy of the Hours, throughout the year there are a good number of celebrations in honor of Mary Most Holy, two celebrations of St. Joseph, and a Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Missing in the universal calendar is a Feast of Mary and Joseph as Spouses. Such a Feast, nevertheless, has existed for centuries and continues to exist in the proper liturgical calendars of certain religious congregations and places throughout the world. Though little known, this Feast is both beautiful and pertinent to our times, so in need of greater appreciation for both Marriage and for consecrated virginity. Our hope in presenting the brief history and texts for this Feast is that, as devotion to the Holy Spouses spreads to more and more communities, more Church authorities may incorporate the Feast into their proper calendars, until it enter into the national and eventually into the universal calendar of the Church.