John Paul II – the Marian Year 1987-1988 and redemptoris custos: Mary, Woman and Spouse of Joseph
The Marian Year (Pentecost 1987 – Assumption 1988), proclaimed by Saint John Paul II with the encyclical Redemptoris Mater (March 25, 1987) and the Bull Sapientia Christiana, was the most significant Marian event of the pontificate after the Jubilee of 2000. The Exhortation Redemptoris Custos (August 15, 1989) on Saint Joseph, published at the conclusion of the Marian Year, completes the Mariological triad of the three-year period 1987-1989.
| Pope | Saint John Paul II |
| Marian Year | Pentecost 1987 – Assumption 1988 |
| Documents | Redemptoris Mater (1987) | Mulieris Dignitatem (1988) | Redemptoris Custos (1989) |
| Topic | Mary-Mother-Woman-Spouse of Joseph: the Holy Family in Marian Perspective |
Context: Why a Marian Year in 1987-1988?
John Paul II proclaimed the Marian Year on the occasion of the second millennium of Mary’s birth, which according to tradition would fall around 16-17 B.C. (reckoning from the traditional date of the birth of Christ). The Year would open with the vigil of Pentecost 1987 and close with the feast of the Assumption of 1988.
The aim was manifold:
- To celebrate the divine motherhood of Mary in a biblical-pastoral key
- To deepen the conciliar teaching of Lumen Gentium chap. VIII
- To promote Marian ecumenism with the Eastern Churches
- To prepare for the third Christian millennium
The Mariological Triad 1987-1989
Redemptoris mater (March 25, 1987)
The great Marian encyclical of the pontificate, focusing on Mary as the pilgrim of faith who goes before the pilgrim Church (see full post).
Mulieris dignitatem (August 15, 1988)
The Apostolic Letter on the dignity and vocation of women (see full post), published on the feast of the Assumption, the closing day of the Marian Year.
Redemptoris custos (August 15, 1989)
The Apostolic Exhortation on Saint Joseph, published a year later, completes the family perspective of Mariology. Where RM looked at Mary as mother, and MD at Mary as woman, RC looks at Mary as the spouse of Joseph.
Redemptoris custos, Latin text, n. 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 is, together with Mary, the first protector and guardian of this new humanity founded with Christ as its head. Man and woman, Mary and Joseph, in their conjugal union in Nazareth, were the first nuptial icon of the Church, and the first example of conjugal love in Christian history.
The Mary-Joseph Couple as Icon
John Paul II develops an idea that will be taken up by Pope Francis in Patris Corde (2020): Mary and Joseph are not isolated figures, they are a couple, and as a couple they are an icon of the Christ-Church relationship. The family of Nazareth is not only where Jesus grew up, it is the first “sacrament” of Christian matrimonial love.
Significance for Family Ministry
The three-year period 1987-1989 established the theological framework for all post-conciliar family ministry:
- Mary is Mother (RM): Mary’s spiritual motherhood embraces all humanity
- Mary is Woman (MD): the dignity of women has in Mary its perfect expression
- Mary is Spouse (RC): the Mary-Joseph couple is a model for every Christian family
Further reading
Redemptoris Mater | Mulieris Dignitatem | Familiaris Consortio | Amoris Laetitia | Patris Corde
Postgraduate Program in Mariology
Would you like to deepen your formation in Mariology? Discover the Postgraduate Program in Mariology of Locus Mariologicus – an academic formation that unites theological rigor, spiritual life, and the living tradition of the Church.
Would you like to study Mariology seriously?
This article grows out of the works in the Locus Mariologicus library. The Postgraduate Program in Mariology takes you to that same source, with academic guidance: Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and the Magisterium, from the first dogma to contemporary questions.
Responses