January 23
Desponsatio Beatæ Mariæ Virginis (Espousal of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
In traditional Catholic usage, the parents of Jesus were
said to be betrothed or espoused, rather than married, in accord with the
doctrine that their union was never consummated. French theologian Jean
Gerson was the first to propose a liturgical feast to honor the betrothal
of Mary and Joseph, in 1416. Over the next two centuries, various communities
began to celebrate the Espousal on different dates. In the 1600s, some
Polish confraternities chose the date of January 23, which Benedict XIII
designated for the commemoration in the Papal States in 1725. The Espousal
was never made a universal Catholic feast day, but was celebrated on
January 23 in some dioceses in the United States, Brazil, and France and
by the Stigmatines and other orders; while in Spain and Latin America, the
feast moved to November 26 to avoid conflict with that of St. Ildephonsus.
Now only a very few communities, such as the Oblates of St. Joseph, have
permission to say the mass of the Desponsatio, whose preface
begins, "You give the Church the joy of celebrating the feast of the
Holy Spouses, Mary and Joseph: in her, full of grace and worthy Mother of
your Son, you signify the beginning of the Church..."
Sources include:
 | Photo of Espousal of Mary and Joseph, altarpiece in the Church of the Stigmatines, Verona, Italy, c1820, artist unknown, from www.estigmatinos.com.br |
| "Feasts of St. Joseph," Oblates of St. Joseph, www.osjoseph.org/#a5 |
Also celebrated this date:
| Virgen de Belén, Susques, Jujuy, Argentina. Town's patronal fiesta: mass & procession. |
| Our Lady of Perianayagi, Konankuppam, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India. Annual feast. |