I am a woman of many New Year’s goal setting traditions. I know that resolutions set for January 1st have become cliche, or even the butt of jokes, but I cannot and will not be deterred! I love the spirit of reflection that the end of one year brings and the energy of a fresh start that the beginning of another year ushers in.

I always pick a word of the year (for 2026, it’s “bloom”), and I typically identify four to eight overarching, values-driven goals to orient myself in the months ahead. But my favorite tradition in years of late is to make a list of concrete, one-and-done actionable items to be completed in the year ahead. For fun, I choose the same number of items as indicated by the new year (23 in 2023, 24 in 2024, and so on).  

My list isn’t a resolution inventory (think, “eat more vegetables,” or “spend time every day cuddling with my children,” or “practice patience”) so much as a glorified “to-do” list. I want to be able to check these items off and to feel the satisfaction of completion, and let’s face it, I’ll never “finish” eating vegetables or feel like I’ve mastered patience. For this reason, I save the incompletable (but oh-so-worthy) goals for my overarching, values-driven goals list, and I stick with items for which I can cross a finish line for my twenty-something in twenty-something list. 

For instance, my 25 in 2025 list included: teach my oldest daughter how to swim, host a progressive dinner party in our neighborhood, and run a half marathon. 

I just finished making my 26 in 2026 list, and because I had so much fun with it, I thought I’d write a post here with a twist on the tradition: 26 in 2026, Catholic-Style. There might be a person or two out there who would be interested in challenging themselves to embrace 26 new to them Catholic practices this year, or you might consider picking a few of these to add to your more all-encompassing 26 in 2026 list.

26 Catholic Practices to try in 2026

1. Bless your house on Epiphany (The traditional date of Epiphany is January 6, but in the United States it is celebrated on the Sunday between January 2 and January 8.) 
2. Pray a novena for someone who has asked for your prayers. 
   
3. Feed the hungry or complete one of the other Corporal Works of Mercy during the season of Lent. 
   
4. Invite someone to Mass with you. 
   
5. Pray the Stations of the Cross during Holy Week. 
6. Read a book about Mary during May, the month of Mary. 
7. Learn the Lord’s Prayer in a new language on Pentecost. 
   
8. Read an entire Gospel in one sitting. 
   
9. Pray the rosary in one of your favorite spots in nature. 
   
10. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3pm at least once. 
    
11. Go to Mass in a new town while on vacation. 
    
12. Celebrate your Baptismal Anniversary by renewing your Baptismal Promises. 
    
13. Make a playlist with your favorite Catholic hymns.
    
14. Write a thank you card to your pastor or Director of Faith Formation. 
    
15. Read a spiritual classic, like St. Augustine’s Confessions. 
    
16. Pray for a hopeless cause on the Feast of St. Jude (Oct. 28).
    
17. Partake in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 
    
18. Memorize a Psalm. 
    
19. Pray in front of sacred art (in a church or museum, or even your own home) and sit with it for 10 minutes. 
    
20. Visit your deceased loved ones in the cemetery, or pray for them in a special way, on the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1).  
    
21. Attend at least one weekday Mass during Advent or Lent. 
    
22. Practice one Spiritual Work of Mercy intentionally for a week (e.g., bearing wrongs patiently or comforting the sorrowful). 
    
23. Learn the story behind your Confirmation saint (or choose one if you never did). 
    
24. Decorate your house for one of the Liturgical seasons. 
25. Stay after Mass to pray silently for five extra minutes. 
    
26. Pray the O Antiphons during the last week of Advent. 

May your new year be filled with joy, growth, connection with friends, family and God, love, peace, and pursuit of faithfulness!