R. Jared Staudt on Why Catholics Celebrate the New Year

"We are beginning the Year of the Lord 2016. The marking of the dawn of a new year is no secular holiday, because time and history have been drawn into the coming of God into the world. We keep track of our time as either BC (Before Christ) or AD (Anno Domini) to demonstrate that Christ is the center of history, the one through whom we judge all that came before and is going to come.

"In the ancient world, the spring equinox marked the beginning of a new year. Spring serving as this turning point makes natural sense, as it marks the renewal of the cycle of the seasons as new life springs forth from the formerly barren soil. Why start the new year in the dead of winter? Julius Caesar changed Rome’s calendar from a lunar to a solar year, and moved the start of the year from March to January (a new month dedicated to the god of entryways). The marking of the New Year brought pagan observances and excessive celebrations, so much so that early Christians observed expiatory fasts in reparation (which some Catholics have now renewed).

In a recent commentary, R. Jared Staudt, Director of the Catholic Studies Program, University of Mary, Bismarck, ND, reflected on why, from a Catholic perspective, we measure the progression of time.

To access Dr. Staudt's complete post, please visit:

Crisis Magazine: Why Catholics Celebrate the New Year (31 DEC 15)