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‘Summer Christmas’: Why Does the Church Celebrate the Birthday of St. John the Baptist? by Hannah Brockhaus – Brown Pelican Society of Lousiana

‘Summer Christmas’: Why Does the Church Celebrate the Birthday of St. John the Baptist? by Hannah Brockhaus

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Sara Brahollari. Unsplash

By Hannah Brockhaus, EWTN News, June 24, 2026

Hannah Brockhaus is EWTN News’ Deputy Vatican Editor. After growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, she earned a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri. She has lived in Rome… See full bio

Because it falls exactly six months before the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, John the Baptist’s birthday is sometimes known as “Summer Christmas.”

Hannah BrockhausSt. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is one of only three people in history — after Jesus and Mary — whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgy.

In fact, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24 is a solemnity, meaning it is the highest form of Catholic feast day. And because it falls exactly six months before the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, it is sometimes known as “Summer Christmas.”

“The Church observes the birth of John as in some way sacred; and you will not find any other of the great men of old whose birth we celebrate officially. We celebrate John’s, as we celebrate Christ’s,” St. Augustine of Hippo said in his sermon 293. ….

In the Mass for the solemnity, the priest prays to God in the preface that in Christ’s precursor, “St. John the Baptist, we praise your great glory, for you consecrated him for a singular honor among those born of women.” ….

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