The Holy Innocents
Feast day: December 28
The Holy Innocents, the baby boys of Bethlehem who died in place of the Child Jesus (28/12).
Who are they?
The Holy Innocents are the baby boys of the village of Bethlehem and the area around it, who lived when Jesus had just been born. They died for Jesus and in his place. From very early on, the Church has honored them as martyrs, and celebrates their feast during Christmas week.
Their story
Not long after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, some wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking about “the newborn king of the Jews” (Mt 2:2). When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, because he was afraid another king had come to take his throne. The king told the wise men to come back and tell him when they found the Child. But they were warned in a dream and went home by another way.
At the same time, an angel of the Lord appeared to Saint Joseph in a dream and told him to take the Child and his mother and flee to Egypt. That very night, Saint Joseph got up and set out with the Child and Mary (cf. Mt 2:13-14).
When he saw that the wise men had tricked him, King Herod was furious and sent men to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and the whole area around it, two years old and under (cf. Mt 2:16). The mothers wept bitterly for their children (cf. Mt 2:18). But God did not forget those little ones. The Church believes they were welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven, where there are no more tears.
Why are they saints?
They were too little to profess their faith or make a choice for themselves. They became saints not by anything they did, but by God’s grace: they died for Jesus and in his place, so the Church calls them martyrs. Pictures show them dressed in white, holding martyrs’ palm branches and wearing crowns in heaven. Because they are with God, we can ask them to pray for us.
A lesson for you
- Every child, even a baby not yet born, is loved by God. Be gentle with little children.
- Ask the Holy Innocents to pray for children today who are suffering, abandoned or living through war.
- Just as Saint Joseph quickly obeyed the angel, quickly follow the good advice of your parents and teachers.
Identifying marks
- A martyr’s palm branch in their hands: the Church honors them as martyrs who died in place of Jesus.
- A small golden crown: the crown of the martyrs in heaven.
- White clothes: they were innocent, washed clean in the salvation of Christ.
- The little village of Bethlehem below: where they lived, near the place where Jesus was born.
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Collect this card and read more about the saints in the app