Abrogating a holy day

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I’ve been reading that some dioceses don’t observe January 1st as a Holy Day of Obligation. Does anyone know the reasoning behind that? I know that individual bishops may choose to not require it as a Holy Day (Canon 87 section 1), but I wondered specifically about the reason why they don’t.
Thanks!
 
You’d have to ask whomever made that decision, i.e. the Bishop of whatever Diocese lifted the obligation.
 
Perhaps they moved it to the previous or following Sunday? That has been known to happen. I look to the USCCB for that decision, but bishops are granted the individual right to move a Holy Day or Obligation - maybe even abrogate. I know my diocese did not move or abrogate it.

As @edward_george1 indicates, you’d have to ask them.
 
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I don’t know about other dioceses but there has been a long history of it being abrogated in the dioceses of Southern California. The explanation has long been “cultural reasons” but I have never heard more detail.
 
The Holy See has determined that in addition to all Sundays there are ten solemnities that are holy days of obligation. It permits each bishops’ conference to remove the obligation from any of them subject to the decision being confirmed by the Holy See. Rome asks that each retains the Lord’s Nativity (Christmas Day) and one of the three in honour of Our Lady.

I live in England and our bishops have removed the precept from Mary, Mother of God (1 January); Immaculate Conception (8 December); S. Joseph (19 March). We have kept the Lord’s Nativity, Epiphany, Ascension and Corpus Christi; Assumption of Our Lady; Ss. Peter & Paul; All Saints.

Therefore, here, in England [and Wales] 1 January, Mary, Mother of God, is still a solemnity but it is not a holy day of obligation.
 
Although this is older (2006), it’s an interesting discussion about the value of Holy Days of Obligation, and what message does it send when they are made “not obligatory” anymore. Specifically referencing when the big change was made in the UK.

adoremus.org

Holy Days

Online Edition – September 2006 Vol. XII, No. 6 We Do Need Holy Days What message is sent when Bishops move (or remove) Holy Days from the Church calendar? by Joanna Bogle Editor’s note: In recent years, several national bishops’ conferences have transferred Holy Days of Obligation — days in...
adoremus.org adoremus.org

Thanks everyone for your (name removed by moderator)ut!
 
In Canada, since Feb. 1968, the only days of obligation are Sundays, Christmas, and the Feast of Mary Mother of God.

Epiphany, the Ascension, the Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ
(Corpus Christi) have been transferred to Sunday and the other 5 have been suppressed (the term used by canon law).
 
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Jan 1st is a holiday where I live and my priest changed the Mass from 11 am to 6 pm and there were 4 times as many people assist at Mass than we normally have for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. It is a holy day of obligation where I live.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
I’ve been reading that some dioceses don’t observe January 1st as a Holy Day of Obligation. Does anyone know the reasoning behind that?
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While I do not know it to be the case, I charitably expect that when the authorities recognize great numbers of the faithful are not keeping their obligations, the abrogate or dispense them to remove an occasion of sin?
 
I think that to also be true. One of our priests indicated this to be the case with a different Holy Day. It was moved to Sunday because of low attendance. I just cannot remember which day it is.
 
What, rather than instruct them on the importance of keeping the commandment to worship God at the appointed times?
 
Ryan1 said:
What, rather than instruct them on the importance of keeping the commandment to worship God at the appointed times?
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You say that like instruction of the faithful hasn’t been done. When it certainly has. Through homilies, announcements at mass, bulletin announcements, Facebook page announcements, catechesis in religious education, and more.

Catholics know what a holy day of obligation is. They know they are supposed to attend mass. But many do not. Some cannot, legitimately. I don’t know why other do not.

But it isn’t because no one knows and it isn’t because no one instructed them.
 
Ryan1 said:
Almost seems like a sin on the part of the bishops, to do so.
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You have the wrong idea bout holy days of obligation if you think the bishops sin if they abrogate them. It is the authority of the bishops that created them in the first place. They are not mandated by any Church doctrine or by God. The requirement to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation are a discipline of the Church. And, that discipline has changed over the centuries to meet cultural requirements.

Of course, the early Church had NO holy days of obligation, those developed over many centuries. Holy Days used to be many more numerous beginning around the middle ages and when countries were Catholic and workers did not have to work on those days-- they were truly holidays in all sense of the word.

In the current times, holy days are much fewer, and many have been moved to Sunday. The bishops have the authority to do it, and to imply they are SINNING by doing so is outrageous.
 
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