Saint of the Day
Friday, May 29, 2026
The mother of Jesus Christ, the most venerated saint in Christianity — Theotokos (God-bearer).
Mary of Nazareth is the mother of Jesus Christ, the most venerated figure in Christianity after Jesus himself. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke record her life in detail: her engagement to Joseph, the angel Gabriel's announcement that she would bear the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38), her visit to her cousin Elizabeth (the Visitation, Luke 1:39-56) during which she sang the Magnificat, the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the presentation in the temple, the flight to Egypt, the finding of Jesus at the temple at age 12, her presence at the wedding at Cana (where Jesus performed his first miracle at her request, John 2:1-11), her standing at the foot of the cross (John 19:25-27), and her presence with the disciples in the upper room at Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Catholic, Orthodox, and many Anglican Christians venerate Mary with four foundational dogmas: she is Theotokos (God-bearer, defined at the Council of Ephesus 431 AD); she is Ever-Virgin (perpetual virginity, affirmed throughout church history); she was immaculately conceived (preserved from original sin from her own conception, defined dogma 1854); and she was assumed body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life (defined dogma 1950). Protestant traditions honor Mary as the mother of our Lord but do not affirm the Catholic Marian dogmas.
Read full biography →Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.