The feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist falls on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, and it is one of the most unique celebrations in the Catholic calendar.
The Church only celebrates the births of three people: Jesus, Mary, and John the Baptist. That alone tells us something important. His entrance into the world was not incidental. It was a pivotal moment in salvation history, and the story surrounding his birth is rich with lessons for every Catholic woman navigating her own call to say yes to God.
At Darling & Divine, we love this feast because it is not just about John. It is about Elizabeth, Zechariah, and Mary too. It is about what happens when God asks something surprising of ordinary people and they choose to trust him anyway.
Who Was St. John the Baptist?
John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, and the last of the great Old Testament prophets. He was sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the hearts of the people for the Messiah's arrival.
His mission is captured simply in John 1:23, where he calls himself "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord." He was not the light. He was the one pointing toward it.
According to Britannica's entry on John the Baptist, John preached repentance, baptized in the Jordan River, and attracted followers from across Judea. He eventually baptized Jesus himself, an event that marked the beginning of Christ's public ministry.
His life ended in martyrdom, beheaded at the request of Herodias through her daughter Salome. The Church honors both his birth on June 24 and his martyrdom on August 29, 2026. He is one of the most venerated figures in Catholic history, invoked in the Eucharistic Prayer and honored as the patron of many countries, cities, and religious orders.
According to New Advent's Catholic Encyclopedia, no saint's feast day is celebrated with greater solemnity in the Church except those of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Story of His Birth: A Lesson in Surrendering to God
The story of John's birth begins years before he arrives, with his parents Elizabeth and Zechariah. They were devout, faithful, and childless. Elizabeth was considered barren, and both of them were well along in years. By every human measure, a baby was not coming.
Then the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple and announced that Elizabeth would conceive a son. Zechariah's response was honest but hesitant: "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years" (Luke 1:18). His doubt cost him his voice until the child was born.
Elizabeth's response was different. When she conceived, she said simply: "The Lord has done this for me. In these days he has shown his favor" (Luke 1:25). No questions. No conditions. Just gratitude and trust.
Mary's Visit and the Leap of Faith
When Mary arrived at Elizabeth's home shortly after the Annunciation, something extraordinary happened. The infant John leapt in Elizabeth's womb at the sound of Mary's greeting. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1:42).
John had not yet been born, and he was already responding to the presence of Jesus. He was already doing the thing he was made to do: pointing toward Christ, recognizing him, drawing others to him.
It is one of the most tender scenes in all of Scripture. Two women, both carrying miracles, meeting each other in the hill country of Judea. Both of them had said yes to something they did not fully understand. Both of them were trusting a God who was doing something far beyond what they could have planned.
For the woman who is learning to say yes: Our Little Way Necklace is inspired by the spirituality of Saint Therese, who believed that small, faithful surrender is the path to God. It is a piece of Catholic jewelry made for the woman still figuring out what her yes looks like.
What John the Baptist Teaches Catholic Women About Vocation
John knew exactly who he was and who he was not. When people asked if he was the Messiah, his answer was clear and unhesitating. He said: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). That single line is one of the most profound statements about Christian vocation ever spoken.
His entire life was oriented toward someone else. He was the voice, not the Word. The lamp, not the light. The friend of the bridegroom, not the bridegroom himself. He found his purpose not in making a name for himself, but in making way for Jesus.
This is countercultural in every era, but especially in ours. We live in a world that constantly tells us to build our own platform, curate our own brand, and make ourselves the center of our own story. John the Baptist lived the exact opposite. He stepped back so that Christ could step forward.
For Catholic women in their 20s and 30s navigating questions of purpose, career, relationships, and calling, his witness is both challenging and freeing. You do not have to figure out your entire story. You just have to say yes to the next step and trust that God is building something larger than what you can currently see.
The Name That Changed Everything
When John was born, his relatives assumed he would be named after his father Zechariah. Elizabeth said no. His name would be John. The relatives were confused because no one in the family had that name.
They turned to Zechariah, still mute from his earlier doubt, and he asked for a writing tablet. He wrote: "His name is John" (Luke 1:63). Immediately his tongue was loosed and he began to praise God.
The name John means "God is gracious." In naming his son what God had asked, Zechariah made a public act of surrender. He stopped holding onto his own plan and accepted God's. His voice returned the moment he did.
There is something deeply relatable about Zechariah. He believed, but hesitantly. He obeyed, but it took time. His journey from doubt to praise is one many Catholic women know personally. The moment of full surrender often comes not in one dramatic decision, but in a small, quiet act of obedience that unlocks something inside us.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, God calls every person by name and invites each one into a relationship built on trust and free response. John's naming story is a beautiful illustration of what that response can look like in real life.
St. John the Baptist and the Sacrament of Confirmation
John the Baptist has a particular connection to the sacrament of Confirmation. He spent his life preparing others to receive the Holy Spirit through Jesus. His baptism of water pointed forward to the baptism of the Spirit that Christ would pour out.
In Acts 19:1-6, Paul encounters disciples who had received only John's baptism. When they were baptized in the name of Jesus and Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them. This sequence, water then Spirit, mirrors the sacramental journey of Baptism followed by Confirmation.
If you are shopping for someone preparing to be confirmed this year, the feast of John the Baptist on June 24 is actually a beautiful occasion to give a meaningful piece of catholic jewelry that honors the sacrament they are stepping into. John prepared the way. Confirmation seals what Baptism began. Both are about saying yes to a God who has already said yes to us.
For a full guide to choosing the best Catholic confirmation gift, we cover all of our top picks in our blog Best Confirmation Gifts for Catholic Girls and Women.
Catholic jewelry for confirmation season and beyond: Our Vintage Crucifix Necklace and saint-inspired layering chains make beautiful confirmation gifts and everyday faith accessories. Christian apparel and accessories that carry real meaning. Shop both at Darling & Divine.
June: The Month of Catholic Women Saints
June is packed with feast days worth celebrating, and several of them honor the women who shaped the faith. The feast of the Visitation of Mary on May 31 closes out May and leads us into June. The feast of the Sacred Heart on June 12 and the Immaculate Heart of Mary on June 13 honor the two hearts at the center of Catholic devotion.
John the Baptist's feast on June 24 is surrounded by these women and their witness. Elizabeth was the first to recognize the Messiah through her unborn child. Mary was the one whose greeting sparked that recognition. Both women are woven into the story of John's birth in a way that the Church has always honored.
For Catholic women saints June is a rich month to reflect on what it means to carry Christ into your daily life the way Elizabeth and Mary did. They did not have a platform or a ministry plan. They had a yes, a willingness to show up for each other, and a trust that God was doing something neither of them fully understood yet.
We explore how to enter the spirit of June's feasts more deeply in our blog Sacred Heart Devotion: A Beginner's Guide for Catholic Women.
How to Honor the Feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24
The feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on Wednesday, June 24 is a solemnity, one of the highest-ranking celebrations in the Catholic calendar. Here are a few ways to honor it meaningfully.
Attend Mass
The most direct way to honor any feast is to attend Mass. If you can get to a Wednesday morning Mass on June 24, go. If not, find the Mass readings for the day and spend a few minutes with them in the evening. The Gospel for this feast is Luke 1:57-66, 80, which tells the story of John's birth and naming.
Pray the Canticle of Zechariah
After his voice returned, Zechariah broke into a beautiful hymn of praise known as the Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79). It is prayed every morning in the Liturgy of the Hours and is one of the most stirring prayers in all of Scripture. Pray it on June 24 as an act of gratitude for the ways God has been faithful in your own story.
Reflect on Your Own Yes
John's birth story is full of people being asked to say yes in ways they did not anticipate. Take a few minutes on June 24 to sit with the question: where is God asking you to decrease so that he can increase? What would it look like to trust him in that space?
Give a Faith Gift
The feast of John the Baptist falls right in the heart of Confirmation season's close and the summer gifting window. It is a natural occasion to give someone you love a piece of Catholic jewelry that honors the faith they carry. Our Midsummer Catholic Gift Guide has everything you need to find the right piece.
The Witness of John's Life for Catholic Women Today
John the Baptist lived in the wilderness. He wore camel hair and ate locusts and wild honey. He was not building a comfortable life. He was building a bridge between the old covenant and the new, and he gave everything he had to do it.
Most of us will not be called to that kind of dramatic witness. But all of us are called to the same essential surrender. To decrease so that Christ can increase in us. To prepare the way in our own families, friendships, workplaces, and communities. To be a voice, even a quiet one, pointing toward something greater than ourselves.
That is what the Little Way Necklace is about. Saint Therese of Lisieux understood what John understood: that holiness is not reserved for the extraordinary. It is found in the faithful surrender of every small moment. Wearing it is a daily reminder that our yes, even the hesitant one, matters to God.
And the Vintage Crucifix Necklace carries the symbol of the sacrifice that John spent his whole life announcing. He preached repentance and pointed to the Lamb of God. The cross is what that Lamb became. Wearing it is a way of carrying that witness forward into a world that still needs to hear it.
Common Questions About St. John the Baptist
Why do we celebrate his birth and not just his feast day?
The Church celebrates only three births: Jesus, Mary, and John. All other saints are honored on the day of their death, which the Church calls their heavenly birthday. John's birth is celebrated because he was sanctified in the womb when Mary greeted Elizabeth. He was filled with the Holy Spirit before he was born, which the Church has always recognized as a unique and extraordinary grace.
Is St. John the Baptist related to Jesus?
Yes. Luke 1:36 describes Elizabeth as a relative of Mary, making John and Jesus cousins. Their mothers' meeting in Luke 1:39-56 is one of the most intimate and joyful scenes in the Gospels, two women carrying world-changing secrets and supporting each other through them.
What is the connection between John and the sacrament of Baptism?
John administered a baptism of repentance in the Jordan River, calling people to prepare their hearts for the Messiah. When Jesus himself came to be baptized, John recognized that Jesus had no sin to repent of and hesitated. Jesus insisted, and at his baptism the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and the Father's voice was heard. John's baptism prepared the way for the sacrament of Baptism that Christ would institute for the forgiveness of sins and new life in the Spirit.
How does his story connect to Confirmation?
John baptized with water and consistently pointed forward to the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16). That baptism of the Spirit is what Confirmation deepens and seals in the life of every Catholic. John prepared the people of his time to receive what we receive in the sacraments. His story is a powerful backdrop for anyone entering or reflecting on their Confirmation.
Shop faith jewelry that carries the spirit of June: Browse our Little Way Necklace, Vintage Crucifix Necklace, and new Saint-Inspired layering chains at Darling & Divine. Christian apparel and accessories for the Catholic woman who wears her faith every day. Shop the full collection.
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Final Thoughts
John the Baptist spent his entire life pointing toward someone else. He prepared hearts, called people to repentance, and stepped aside the moment Jesus appeared. His story is a reminder that saying yes to God rarely looks the way we expected, but it always leads somewhere worth going.
On June 24, we celebrate the birth of the man who leapt for joy at the sound of Mary's voice. Who wore his vocation like a second skin and never apologized for it. Who decreased so that Christ could increase, and in doing so, became one of the greatest figures in salvation history.
We hope his story stirs something in you today. And we hope that whatever your yes looks like right now, you have the courage to say it.
Browse the full Darling & Divine collection of Catholic jewelry and find a piece that carries your faith forward.