John Paul II – The Marian Year 1987-1988 and Redemptoris Custos: Mary, Woman and Wife of Joseph

# The Marian Year (Pentecost 1987 – Assumption 1988)St. John Paul II proclaimed the *Marian Year* from Pentecost 1987 to the Assumption in 1988 through the Apostolic Exhortation *Redemptoris Mater* (March 25, 1987) and the Bull *Sapientia Christiana*. This significant event during his pontificate followed the Jubilee Year 2000. The *Exhortation Redemptoris Custos* (August 15, 1989), focusing on St. Joseph, concludes the Marian trilogy of 1987-1989.## Why a Marian Year in 1987-1988?St. John Paul II initiated the *Marian Year* to celebrate the second millennium since Mary’s birth, traditionally placed around 16-17 BC (calculated from the traditional date of Christ’s birth). The year began with Pentecost vigil in 1987 and ended with the feast of the Assumption in 1988.The objectives were multifaceted:– To celebrate Mary’s divine motherhood through a biblical and pastoral lens. – To deepen the conciliar teaching of *Lumen Gentium* Chapter VIII. – To foster Marian ecumenism with Eastern Churches. – To prepare for the third millennium of Christianity.## The Marian Trilogy 1987-1989### *Redemptoris Mater* (March 25, 1987)The major Marian encyclical of St. John Paul II’s pontificate, emphasizing Mary as a pilgrim of faith preceding the Church’s pilgrimage (*see complete post*).### *Mulieris Dignitatem* (August 15, 1988)The Apostolic Letter on the dignity and vocation of women (*see complete post*), published on the feast of the Assumption, marking the end of the Marian Year.### *Redemptoris Custos* (August 15, 1989)This Apostolic Exhortation on St. Joseph completes the family perspective of mariology, where *Redemptoris Mater* focused on Mary as mother, and *Mulieris Dignitatem* on Mary as woman. It considers Mary in her marital role with Joseph.## *Redemptoris Custos*, Latin Text, No. 21> *”Iosephus est, simul cum Maria, primus huius novae humanitatis Christo capite condita protector et custos. Vir et mulier, Maria et Iosephus, in eorum unione coniugali in Nazareth, primum nuptialem icona Ecclesiae apparuerunt, et primum amoris coniugalis exemplum christianus historiae.”* > > Joseph, together with Mary, is the first protector and guardian of this new humanity founded with Christ as head. Man and woman, Mary and Joseph, in their marital union in Nazareth, appeared as the first nuptial icon of the Church and the first example of Christian conjugal love in history.John Paul II develops an idea that is taken up by Pope Francis in *Patris Corde* (2020): Mary and Joseph are not isolated figures, but a couple, and as such they are the icon of the relationship between Christ and the Church. The family of Nazareth is not merely where Jesus grew up; it is the first “sacrament” of Christian marital love.**Significance for Family Pastoral Care:**The period 1987-1989 established the theological framework for all post-conciliar family pastoral care:– **Mary as Mother** (RM): Mary’s spiritual motherhood extends to all humanity. – **Mary as Woman** (MD): Women’s dignity finds its perfect expression in Mary. – **Mary as Spouse** (RC): The couple Mary and Joseph are a model for every Christian family.**Complementary Reading:**– *Redemptoris Mater* – *Mulieris Dignitatem* – *Familiaris Consortio* – *Amoris Laetitia* – *Patris Corde*