Celebrate the “Day of the Unborn Child”
on the March 25th Feast of the Annunciation
This site was developed to advance the movement toward international recognition of March 25th as the “Day of The Unborn Child,” and equally to promote among Christians the observance of this traditional feast day of the Incarnation honoring Christ’s conception (once celebrated as the old New Year’s Day) which is currently named “The Feast of the Annunciation.” The date was chosen because it falls nine months before the most celebrated birth in Western civilization, known throughout the world as Christmas. Regardless of whether one emphasizes the secular or religious aspects of the March 25th memorial, the symbolic interval of a full-term pregnancy reminds us of the reality and dignity of life from conception.
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Free March 25 Cards--English & Español
Note on the Artwork (A Second Halo)
Missed the Day & Events?--Year-Round Ideas
New--Download Informational Brochures
Image
courtesy of: ©John Brandi, Co., Inc.
List Your Event / Share a Suggestion
Is there a special Annunciation or Day of the Unborn Child event that you would like to see listed on our Local & National Events page? Would you like to share ideas and traditions for celebrating the day? Contact us at info@DayOfTheUnbornChild.com.
Use Our Seasonal Banners in E-mails, Blogs, and Websites to Highlight the Annunciation--or Print on Sheets of Labels
For instructions on using one of our new banners to promote the Annunciation/Christmas/New Year's connection during the holiday season or year round, click HERE.
Questions & Answers
Why use a Christian feast to promote the universal cause of
unborn children?
Why is the Feast of the Annunciation so important
to the pro-life movement?
Can secular pro-life groups honor March
25 simply as the Day of the Unborn Child?
Why isn't the feast honoring Christ’s
conception more widely celebrated?
What if my church moves this
year’s Annunciation feast to a day after the 25th?
Is this feast the way to teach children
respect-for-life before the “facts of life” talk?
Was Christ conceived on March 25th?
If the Annunciation is the feast of the
Incarnation, how should we view Christmas?
Which denominations have the Annunciation feast
as part of their tradition?
Is the Annunciation a feast of Christ or
a feast of Mary?
What can I do the rest of the
year if the day has already passed?
Why use a Christian feast to promote the universal cause of unborn children? Why not choose a new date for a secular Day Of The Unborn Child?
It
would be hard to find a date that has more universal import in its symbolic
link to a historic birthday celebrated worldwide. Christmas is known around the world and its celebration
transcends cultural, racial, national and class divisions--therefore the feast
day that precedes it by the length of a pregnancy is an ideal choice. Clearly there is no absolutist line of
separation between the overlapping spheres of state and faith-influenced
culture based on the precedents we’ve already set in national holidays like
Christmas and the way we measure time.
Even the most secularized nations and governments use a calendar that
has the approximate date of Christ’s birth as its starting point. Atheist scholars accept the conventional
division of history into B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. or Anno Domini which
means “in the year of the Lord.” As
such, governments that officially adopt this date as a day of remembrance for
the unborn are well within the norms of what is already practiced in modern
democratic nations. Even if March 25
were not a Christian feast, it would make perfect sense to remember unborn
children on the day that falls nine months before the international celebration
of the most widely recognized birth in Western civilization. It should be obvious that the decision to
choose this day for a national observance reflects a common cultural language
and in no way approaches a “theocracy.”
In rightly affirming the protection of unborn children as a secular
cause, it should also be noted that much of what we take for granted as civil
human rights (i.e. laws against infanticide) and humanitarian progress
(governmental provision for the poor) grew out of 2000 years of Christian moral
philosophy and charitable works.
Why is the Feast of the Annunciation so important to the pro-life movement?
In
recent years perceptive pro-life parents began annual celebrations of their
children's "First Days" nine months before their
birthdays--recognizing that if everyday practices don’t reflect the reality of
their beliefs they send a destructively mixed message. Though many of them were faithful
Christians, few of them recognized that Christ's “first day” of human life
passed by every year virtually unnoticed by the majority of believers; commonly
there was no obvious celebration either private or public--those churches that
observed the feast had services for the day, but attendance was generally no
greater than a normal daily mass. And
this was no ordinary “first day,” for unlike the natural conception of children
who are created beings, this was the moment that Christ the Eternal Word became
flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit--it was the “first day” only of His human
earthly life that he shared with us.
This is what Christians call the Incarnation--the moment God became
man. As the word “incarnate” (to be
made flesh) implies, this was accomplished not when Jesus reached adulthood, or
was revealed to the world at his birth--it happened when he took on human flesh
at his conception in Mary’s womb. The
Incarnation as an event had a specific time and place, as simply stated on a
plaque in Nazareth’s Church of the Annunciation: "Verbum caro hic factum est"--"the Word was made
flesh here." The pro-life
significance of this statement in the context of the Annunciation is addressed
in an American Life
League article (on cloning) that reprints the first chapter of professor John
Saward's "Redeemer in the Womb."
In reflecting upon this momentous occasion, we can find inspiration to
combat the “out of sight out of mind” tendency that attaches itself to all
hidden realities, even the central reality of the Incarnation. If the Christian community as a whole
does not consistently recognize and honor the conception and prenatal life of
Christ who is God, then it should come as no surprise that the secular world
has so little regard for the newly conceived life of an "unplanned"
child, who is neither divine nor anxiously awaited nor announced by angelic
herald, but is simply unwanted, like so many others. It is essential for all Christians to not
only remember but celebrate the fact that the Word was made flesh in Nazareth
nine months before Christ's birth in Bethlehem. Fortunately it is not necessary to wholly invent a “first day”
tradition for Christ. Early in
Christendom (probably the 400’s) Christ’s first day was already
memorialized. Now known as the Feast of
the Annunciation, officially it is still the principal feast of the
Incarnation, and was universally celebrated by the 600’s. In the past it had been named Festum
Incarnationis and Conceptio Christi--which made it clear that it was the
conception of Christ that was being commemorated. Celebrating March 25th in remembrance of this reality (and as The
Day of the Unborn Child as many nations are now doing) will be a wonderful
spiritual counterpart to the celebration of Christmas, which has unfortunately
become so commercialized and secularized.
Keep in mind also that the Annunciation is not only one of the most
frequently depicted events in art, but is also the most frequently depicted
conception. It is quite remarkable that
an event that takes place unseen inside the human body should become one of the
most popular iconic themes for a visual medium like painting. Wouldn’t it be tragic if such potentially
powerful pro-life imagery were lost on even the most faithful Christians
because they were never taught the significance of the Annunciation as the
occasion of Christ’s Incarnation and therefore don’t see its powerful pro-life
implications. (For more on the
Annunciation in art, read A Note On The Artwork). In sum, raising awareness of the meaning of
the Christian feast whose date has been adopted for a secular pro-life day of
remembrance complements that cause, just as Christian clergy assisted secular
civil rights workers in the 1960’s. The
participation of an ordained Christian minister like the Rev. Martin Luther
King, Jr. (who frequently referenced God in his civil rights speeches) did not
limit his movement, or make voting rights an exclusively religious issue. Likewise Christian understanding of the
Annunciation will not interfere with but may actually be a necessary step on
the way to establishing the Day Of The Unborn Child as an annual secular
memorial.
Can secular pro-life groups honor March
25 simply as the Day of the Unborn Child?
Certainly
a pro-life political organization or pro-life pregnancy center that serves all
faiths can honor this date as the “Day of the Unborn Child” without any overtly
religious promotion of its roots as a Christian feast. Just as many secular organizations choose
Christmas (feast of the Nativity) for special charitable works and outreach,
secular pro-life groups can choose the date of the Annunciation feast for a
special event to raise funds, start a baby item donation drive, or to launch a
new educational campaign such as the FirstDays
or +9
(plus nine) programs. In the case of
secular activism these can be promoted simply as “Day of the Unborn Child”
events. However those involved with the
activities should be aware of the origins of the day and be prepared to answer
any questions about why that particular date was selected for pro-life
action--the answer can be simply stated as follows: Just as the occasion of Christmas celebrating Christ’s birth has
been a time at which even secular charities have a special outreach to help
those already born, the Annunciation feast (nine months before Christmas)
celebrating Christ’s conception has been chosen as a special time to help the
unborn. It should also be recognized
that the staff of these organizations are most often people of faith, and that
although direct evangelization may not fit with that group’s particular
mandate, questions that arise from attendees, participants, and clients
themselves are perfectly legitimate opportunities to share a bit of Christian
history as it relates to Christ’s conception as the Incarnation, and for the
many Christians who work in such organizations to share their belief in that
central tenet of the Christian faith.
As noted at the end of the previous answer, though the mission of
secular and religious movements is not identical, there has traditionally been
a broad area of overlap in which both causes are enriched by each other’s
efforts.
Why isn’t the feast of Christ’s conception more widely celebrated? What could be more central to Christianity than the Incarnation?
The most important event of your life is your conception--for that is what makes all the rest possible, including your salvation. Likewise, if not for the Incarnation of Christ at His conception, there would be no atonement on the cross, and no resurrection from the dead. To introduce the subject it is important to note that the March 25th feast once had the most pointed and widespread celebration possible for it marked the beginning of the year in the old pre-Gregorian calendar, but in the 16th to 18th centuries, countries began to adopt the new January 1st New Year’s Day. This loss of secular significance was compounded by several factors impacting the awareness of its religious significance. First of all, titles for the feast have varied throughout history. Names do not change the nature of things, but they do direct our attention. Two of the earlier titles--Conceptio Christi (Conception of Christ) and Festum Incarnationis (Feast of the Incarnation)--made it clear that Christ’s Conception/Incarnation was being commemorated. Although “Incarnation” is still occasionally used (as by Pope John Paul II) to refer to the feast, the more common title “Annunciation” is named after the angel’s message--only the first of the events in the Biblical account of Jesus’ conception, all of which are to be commemorated on the feast day. Moreover, for Catholics--although it retains the high rank of a solemnity (from “sollennis” meaning “annual”)--the feast is no longer a universal holy day of obligation in terms of required Mass attendance. As such, though in a liturgical sense it is widely celebrated geographically, the non-obligatory status makes it a challenge to get large numbers to attend and to promote understanding of the centrality of the feast and its meaning. Furthermore, due to the season in which it necessarily falls, without a determined effort to highlight its importance the feast is often lost among the Holy Week observances leading up to Easter. Additionally, measures to avoid Easter week conflicts by moving the feast several days (sometimes into April) obscured the nine-month interval before Christmas that would hint at the day’s significance. (However, a church or diocese can use this as an opportunity to highlight the meaning of the feast and its pro-life implications by explaining ahead of time the reason for that year’s change and the significance of the original March 25th date, making it far less likely that the day and its import will pass by unrecognized.) Another factor is the confusion stemming from the fact that many people mistakenly believe the day Jesus was conceived is already being celebrated on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, when in truth this is the Catholic feast for the day Mary was conceived; understandably, if they are not acquainted with the practice of celebrating Christ’s conception on the Annunciation feast, they may simply assume it must be celebrated on the feast of the “Immaculate Conception”--which indeed is a term some Protestant denominations use for the conception of Jesus--the varying use of the same term can easily result in miscommunication. Clearly there is much need for education and clarification on these matters--and thus, the need for a website.
What if my church has moved this year’s Annunciation feast to a day after the 25th?
The
feast as such should be celebrated with your church on the official day designated
for that year. Participation in
whatever official celebration is offered will encourage greater attendance and
focus on this feast day in the future.
(For Catholics, this may simply mean joining your parish will for the
Annunciation feast day mass that oftentimes is celebrated several days after
the 25th due to Easter conflicts; when it is moved only one day ahead it might
be possible to attend or arrange an evening mass at or after sundown the night
before, which would be the 25th by the calendar but the 26th liturgically
speaking.) In those years when there is
a change, March 25th can still be an occasion for special
public pro-life events, preparatory activities leading up to the feast day,
and private/family
gatherings and prayer.
Take
advantage of the intervening days as additional opportunities to encourage
attendance at the official celebration of the Annunciation and raise awareness
about the feast’s Incarnational significance and its pro-life emphasis
highlighted in the Day of the Unborn Child observance. For example, one positive way to use the
interval is to have a multi-day event or activity such as a baby-item
drive that accepts donations from the 25th through the day on which the
feast is being observed. This not only
benefits the needy but educates the congregation about the life-affirming
significance of these days as well as providing an occasion to promote
attendance at the concluding Annunciation mass and/or any related events--a
sign on the collection bin and a nearby info table can give dates and times as
well as some brief historical background on the feast. A closing after-church get together with
refreshments could be offered in keeping with the "feast" day and as
a thank you for donors. Other examples
of multi-day events that can span the gap are two or three-day conferences,
missions, or retreats with a pro-life/Annunciation/Incarnation theme.
When
the feast is moved, the Day of the Unborn Child is often celebrated on the same
day to which the Annunciation is transferred that year. In other cases, Day of the Unborn Child
events have still been held on the 25th--while highlighting the importance of
the upcoming celebration of the Annunciation.
This latter case affords an opportunity to promote attendance at the
official Annunciation observance taking place several days later--for example,
a Day of the Unborn Child prayer service or mass on the 25th is an occasion to
publicize the upcoming Annunciation feast with signs, fliers, opening and
closing announcements, as well as a homily/sermon that explains the
significance of the usual March 25th date and its transfer that year. When this separation between the two days
and their respective events does occur, it allows, if desired, different
aspects of the feast to be emphasized on distinct but linked occasions
connected in both theme and time--the March 25th Day of the Unborn Child as a
time for pro-life prayer in remembrance of all the unborn lost and for the
welfare of those living, and also a time to encourage attendance at the second
more celebratory occasion of the Feast of the Annunciation mass and/or related
events at which we give thanks for the Incarnation at Christ's conception and
reflect on its meaning--an ideal time for an after-church parish get-together
or dinner to raise funds for a pro-life pregnancy center.
Keep
in mind that even in years when churches celebrate the feast more than a week
after the 25th, it should be pointed out that this time period preceding
Christmas is still a good estimation of the gestational stage of life. The nine-month interval intended in the
usual feast date of March 25th was wisely chosen as a well-known symbol of a
pregnancy, but it is still only a symbolic approximation--just as the actual period
of human gestation varies, the number of days between Christmas and the
celebration of the Annunciation feast will vary slightly depending on whether
the latter feast is transferred in a given year--exactly nine months in theory,
and nearly nine months in practice.
Either way, recognizing the gestation-length period reminds us that it
is Christ’s conception we are celebrating.
For
more suggestions, please see our Ideas page.
Is this feast the way to teach children respect-for-life before the “facts of life” talk?
For Christian parents it is perhaps both the easiest and most profound way to plant the pro-life seed, as the feast offers a rare opportunity to teach children about conception without addressing the reproductive act while also imparting the central Incarnational truth of the faith. Indeed, the traditional celebration of the Annunciation is an ideal time to introduce even the youngest children to the concept of life before birth, for the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit can be freely discussed with those who have not yet had the "facts of life" talk. This is especially important for school-based instruction, inasmuch as parents, including those who are pro-life, differ on what age is appropriate to broach the subjects of procreation and abortion--even for the welcome purpose of teaching the sanctity of life. Just as the celebration of FirstDays roots children in the pro-life ethic before they even become aware of abortion, the celebration of Christ’s conception as the first day of His earthly life reveals the reality of prenatal existence to children too young for the biological explanation of natural conception. The topic of Christ’s supernatural conception is uniquely inclusive of all ages, and its inherently pro-life message makes it the perfect vehicle for sanctity-of-life lessons in Christian education, especially in the lower grades where extra sensitivity regarding age-appropriate content is required. The Christmas connection also makes Annunciation Day child-friendly--children look forward to and are eager to start the countdown to December 25--now they have a genuinely good reason to begin nine months in advance on March 25. Although the Incarnational conception of Jesus with its pro-life implications can be taught at any time, it is important to make the most of this opportune occasion on the feast day with which it is honored.
Was Christ conceived on March 25th?
There
is an early tradition of March 25th as the possible date for Christ's
conception--see
Historical Background for details.
As with the date of Christ’s birth, it cannot be verified by the
standards of modern historians. But it
is important to remember that even today with modern biological knowledge, the
date of a conception is almost always an educated guess. That doesn’t dissuade pro-life parents from
celebrating their children’s “First Days” nine months before their
birthdays. The conventional wisdom is
that the Feast of the Nativity (later known as Christmas) was set on December
25th to purify the pagan practices of the winter solstice, and that the March
25th feast was chosen based on this date.
What matters is this relative date of March 25 occurring nine months
before the celebration of His birth on December 25--it is here that we find the
consistent reflection of the reality that Christ’s Incarnation was accomplished
at his conception in Nazareth, and that conception is the beginning of every
human life.
We
should neither be surprised nor disturbed that the precise date of Christ’s
birth would not have been seen as essential information in the New Testament
era. The modern celebration of
birthdays and need for documentation puts an emphasis on recording exact birth
dates that had not been the norm throughout history and across cultures. Indeed it is not the norm in some countries today. Even if the exact date of Christ’s birth and
conception could be determined, such absolute dates would have no more pro-life
significance than the feast dates that were chosen. For in the early centuries of Christian history the date to
celebrate Christ’s conception was wisely set at a pregnancy-length interval
before Christmas--a prescient decision reflecting the reality of prenatal life
one-and-a-half millennia before the biologic facts were fully understood. The first date can be chosen randomly as
long as the second date is placed consistently in relation to it. The symbolic pregnancy interval can also be
seen in the Catholic Marian feast dates--the feast established in 1477 honoring
the Virgin Mary’s conception (Dec. 8) was set nine months before the feast day
of her birth (Sept. 8). It is the
relationship between the two dates that is important.
If the Annunciation is the feast of the Incarnation, how should we view Christmas?
Keep in mind that both the Annunciation and Christmas are feasts of the Incarnation, but the Annunciation technically is the primary Incarnational feast, as revealed by its former Latin name “Festum Incarnationis” (a modern translation of which was used by Pope John Paul II in a March 25th papal blessing). Professor John Saward explains the relationship between the two feasts in the section titled “The Annunciation: The Feast of the Incarnation” (reprinted in an ALL article on cloning) from chapter one of his book “Redeemer in the Womb.” A correct appreciation and celebration of the Annunciation as the day of the Incarnation will deepen the understanding of the first Christmas as the occasion on which this awe-inspiring event was revealed to the world. Christmas has become so commercialized and secularized that Christians forced to fight for the display of a Nativity scene can be distracted from the Incarnational reality behind it. In remembering the birth of the baby Jesus in the manger, we must also reflect on the meaning of the Incarnation that was accomplished nine months before. Incarnation (the root of which means “to be made flesh”) clearly did not take place at the divine infant’s birth, but at His conception; and consider the simple, quiet and humble circumstances in which it took place--with no human witness besides Mary herself. The Incarnation (God made man--the Word made flesh) is the most awesome event of history, yet all through Mary’s pregnancy the virginal conception of the Savior was a private mystery known on earth only to the Holy Family and those closest to them. This changed dramatically at Christ’s birth, when the good news of the Messiah’s coming was publicly and joyously proclaimed by angelic herald. Steve Ray in his "Footprints of God" series states: "It was at the Annunciation in Nazareth that God first took on human flesh in the womb of Mary…it was here in Bethlehem that he made his appearance as a helpless baby" (from Footprints of God, The Word Became Flesh, pt. 1 of 4). The first Christmas in Bethlehem was not the beginning for Christ the Eternal Word whose divinity had no beginning and whose human life began nine months earlier in Nazareth. The reason Christmas is so important is because it was a new beginning for us--the day the Incarnation was revealed to the world--the first time we could see Him face to face--and this is how we must understand and celebrate the feast of December 25th. [For ideas on how to promote awareness of the gestational link between Christmas and the Annunciation feast, please see Highlighting the Christmas Connection on our Ideas page.]
Is the Feast of the Annunciation celebrated outside the Catholic Church? Which denominations have the feast on their official calendar?
The answer is yes. Although actual practice in individual congregations will vary, Lutherans, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Orthodox, Catholics and others that follow a traditional liturgical calendar already observe this feast with the other major Christian celebrations. If your church is among these, you need only to renew and revive an established tradition and bring out its Incarnational and pro-life significance. Those churches that do not have the feast on their official calendar can establish a tradition of celebrating March 25th--the day that falls nine months before Christmas--in honor of the first day of Christ’s human life in the womb, and as a general Day of the Unborn Child; an older name for the feast (Incarnation/Conception of Christ) can be used to clearly indicate that it is the commemoration of the beginning of Christ’s earthly life--the moment that God became man in the flesh.
Is the Annunciation a Feast of Christ or a Feast of Mary?
Historically it has been regarded both as a feast of Christ and Mary. From the various titles the day has been given over the years, we can see that some of the earliest (Feast of the Incarnation, Conception of Christ) and the recent Annunciation of the Lord put the emphasis on Jesus, while other titles like the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and England’s Lady’s Day highlighted the role of Mary in assenting to God's will. The artwork on the opening page vividly illustrates how difficult and unnatural it would be to speak of the Unborn Christ without mentioning Mary. Whether or not one's spirituality encompasses a special love and respect for the Blessed Mother, all Christians can agree that for both Jesus and Mary, and the whole human race, the moment when God became man in the womb of a virgin in Nazareth is the most awe inspiring event of history and should be commemorated, especially today when prenatal life is under attack.
What can I do the rest of the year if the day has already passed?
If you’ve missed the feast day you can still participate in several ways. For example, you might propose or offer to help with an event for next year by contacting a local church or pro-life group. If the holiday season is approaching see "Highlighting the Christmas Connection" in our Ideas page for suggestions on using web banners, cards, gifts, and all your December mailings to promote awareness of the feast that falls nine months before Christmas. You can also join the 9-month "Spiritual Adoption" in progress--a gestational period of prayer for an unborn child ending at Christmas. For example, if the day has only recently passed, you might begin praying for unborn children in the early embryonic stage whose mothers may not yet know they are pregnant, for those targeted by the abortion pill, and especially for embryos in the vulnerable but oft forgotten pre-implantation phase whether conceived naturally in a woman's body or in the laboratory. If the feast was two or more months ago, pray for those endangered by the methods of surgical abortion. If you begin in the second half of the 9-month period following the feast (Aug.-Dec.), pray for those targeted for late term abortion, including those children in parts of the world that practice abortion/infanticide during and after the birth process. You might pray for a specific intention for the child that changes every 25th of the month. Click here for more on “Spiritual Adoption.”
A Note on the Artwork (A Second Halo)
The
image on the home page was used by permission and is the property of John
Brandi Company--it appears on their "Our
Lady of The Millennium" prayer cards and art prints. With its simplicity of form, understated
colors, and light emanating from Mary’s womb signifying the hidden Christ, it
is a beautifully poignant and thought-provoking depiction of the mystery of the
Incarnation. Artistic renderings of
this event are usually given the more broad title of “Annunciation” which
encompasses the three events of the angel’s announcement, Mary’s consent, and
the conception of Christ in her womb.
The last of these, for obvious reasons, is the hardest to
represent. The dramatic form of the
archangel could easily detract from the unseen but all-important culmination in
the Word made flesh. Unfortunately some
early attempts to avoid this misplaced emphasis showed the infant Christ
descending to Mary’s womb--which is theologically erroneous and aesthetically
awkward. By contrast the illustration
chosen for this site beautifully blends both the natural and supernatural
elements of the scene. The artist
Barham’s use of drapery conceals from us the stage of Mary’s pregnancy. Therefore it can represent the whole span
of Christ’s prenatal life in addition to the specific moment of the Incarnation
when Christ was conceived. This quietly
elegant minimalist composition is both reverent and modern in style. As such it is a perfectly fitting emblem of
the Incarnation and its pro-life implications, as well as a potent reminder of
the centrality of the maternal-infant bond exemplified in history’s most
contemplated and intriguing mother-and-child relationship. [NOTE:
There are many paintings that have the title “Our Lady of the
Millennium.” To find a retailer that
carries the version used on this site see Further
Reading and Instructional Materials.]
Last revised: 3/10