The Annunciation of the Lord
Solemnity
- Feast Day
- March 25
The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord commemorates the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation of the Son of God, recorded in Luke 1:26-38. Mary's response, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum (let it be done unto me according to your word), is the moment at which, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the eternal Word took flesh in her womb.
The feast is fixed on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas. Its observance is attested in the East from at least the sixth century and in Rome by the seventh century, when the Liber Pontificalis lists it among the Marian feasts to be celebrated with a stational liturgy and procession.
The Annunciation is principally a feast of the Lord, celebrating the Incarnation, and only secondarily a feast of Mary. The Roman Missal directs that all kneel during the Creed at the words et incarnatus est, observing the moment in which the eternal Word entered human history. When the date falls within Holy Week or the Easter Octave, the solemnity is transferred to a day after the Octave; in 2026 it is observed on its proper day, March 25.
Pope Saint Paul VI's apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus (1974) calls the Annunciation a joint feast of Christ and his Mother, of the Word who becomes the Son of Mary, and of the Virgin who becomes the Mother of God.
The Annunciation marks the moment of the Incarnation and is the foundation of the entire Marian and Christological order. In Marialis Cultus 6, Pope Saint Paul VI describes it as the celebration of God's free initiative in becoming man and of Mary's free consent in faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (494) identifies Mary's fiat as the obedient counterpart to Eve's disobedience, opening the way of redemption. The midday Angelus, recited daily by the faithful, perpetuates this mystery in popular devotion.
Catholic Churches Named After The Annunciation of the Lord
20 parishes on Catholic Church Times share The Annunciation of the Lord's name. Find their Mass times, confession schedules, and adoration hours:
- The Annunciation, Hectorville — Hectorville, SA
- Holy Spirit, West Bridgford (Parish of The Annunciation, Rushcliffe) — Nottingham, ENG
- Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral-Parish — Catarman, NORTHERN SAMAR
- The Annunciation — Woodchester, ENG
- Church of The Annunciation - 'Our Lady, Queen of Peace', Chesterfield — Chesterfield, ENG
- St. Mary of the Annunciation — Navilleton, IN
- Saint Anne, Radcliffe on Trent (Parish of the Annunciation, Rushcliffe) — Radcliffe-on-Trent, ENG
- St. Mary of the Annunciation Church — Oakdale, CA
- St. Mary, Our Lady of the Annunciation — Rockwood, MI
- Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic Church — Springfield, CO
- Cathedral of the Annunciation — Stockton, CA
- Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation
- Church of the Annunciation — Southampton
- Parish of the Annunciation — General Trias, Cavite
- Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish
- Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish
- Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish — Quezon City
- Church of the Annunciation — Kearney, MO
- Saint Mary of the Annunciation — Bristol, IN
- St. Mary of the Annunciation — Melrose, MA
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