Ascension Thursday Obligation

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I understand that in the United States Ascension Thursday Mass attendance is only an obligation in a few areas almost all in the Northeast. For the rest of the country it has been transferred to Sunday. What about the rest of the world? Has the obligation been transferred to Sunday in most areas?
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Zach said:
I understand that in the United States Ascension Thursday Mass attendance is only an obligation in a few areas almost all in the Northeast.
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Do you know why this is, and not for the entire USA?

I’m in the Northeast, and it is an obligation for us. I am actually very happy about it because any opportunity to go to mass midweek is sought-after and desirable to me.

Just wondering why it’s not nationwide.
 
It’s probably because other dioceses where churches are further apart and they have less priests whine about the hardship of having to have Mass on a weekday and complain that nobody shows up anyway. I’m happy my dioceses keep the obligation, but we also tend to have decent holy day attendance and a reasonable number of priests around.

I myself try to attend daily Mass and make up missed days, though I don’t always live up to this goal, so like you I am happy when more Masses are available especially in the evenings.
 
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I’m in the northeast too and it’s a day of obligation. I’m glad it is because I like weekday evening Mass which are rare.
 
Perhaps it’s because of past decisions of the local bishops in those areas.
 
You are correct. From the 2019 Liturgical Calendar published by the USCCB:

Regarding the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston,
Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia have retained its celebration on the
proper Thursday, while all other ecclesiastical provinces of the United States of America have
transferred this Solemnity to the following Sunday, June 2, 2019.

The decision to transfer the solemnity is made by the Bishops of each Province.

The Provinces named above include all dioceses in the states of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska.
 
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Not transferred in France. It also remains a public holiday here.
 
It’s a day of obligation for me too.

This day signals me to start the Holy Spirit Novena on Friday which I have been praying consistently for 13 years.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
It’s probably because other dioceses where churches are further apart and they have less priests whine about the hardship of having to have Mass on a weekday and complain that nobody shows up anyway.
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I live in very rural state and our priests don’t “whine” about having to add another Mass to the already full schedule of daily and weekend Masses. In my parish that number is 12 regular Masses during summer, 14 when school is in. Then there are weddings, funerals, and quicenerias.

We also have a very faithful Catholic Community who shows up for all holy days.
 
UpUpAndAway said:
Not transferred in France. It also remains a public holiday here.
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Same for Germany. They basically shut down the country for the day. I was there at that time and it suddenly dawned on me “it’s Himmelfahrt, that’s why everything is closed today!”.
 
My parish in NE Ohio retained the Holy Day of Obligation this Thursday, but we’re the exception from Mainstream Church all around us.
 
matas2 said:
My parish in NE Ohio retained the Holy Day of Obligation this Thursday, but we’re the exception from Mainstream Church all around us.
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Was this a parish of the local diocese, or was it an independent Latin Mass chapel? (Note: these chapels are not authorized by the Church.)
 
It used to be that way in France as well, but in recent years many places of business stay open. All the usual suspects are closed, however (post offices, banks, government agencies …)
HomeschoolDad said:
Was this a parish of the local diocese, or was it an independent Latin Mass chapel? (Note: these chapels are not authorized by the Church.)
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There are other legitimate possibilities as well, such as the FSSP and the ICRSS, which are of pontifical right and are thus neither diocesan nor “independent.”
 
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UpUpAndAway said:
It used to be that way in France as well, but in recent years many places of business stay open. All the usual suspects are closed, however (post offices, banks, government agencies …)
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In Germany at the time, they “battened down the hatches” and almost everything was closed. The mini-mart at the train station was open, but that was about it.
UpUpAndAway said:
My parish in NE Ohio retained the Holy Day of Obligation this Thursday, but we’re the exception from Mainstream Church all around us.
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I did not know that. I thought that FSSP parishes operated in tandem with the diocese in which they were located. And would they be able to bind their congregations to holy day observance, and if so, would this just apply to those who are registered as members of those parishes?
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HomeschoolDad said:
In Germany at the time, they “battened down the hatches” and almost everything was closed. The mini-mart at the train station was open, but that was about it.
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When was this?
HomeschoolDad said:
I did not know that. I thought that FSSP parishes operated in tandem with the diocese in which they were located. And would they be able to bind their congregations to holy day observance, and if so, would this just apply to those who are registered as members of those parishes?
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Hmmm 🤔

I can only speak from my own experience.

The ICRSS operates in my Archdiocese with the permission of the Archbishop but does not otherwise answer to him. Being a Society of Apostolic Life with Pontifical Right, they are answerable only to the Holy See. For example, the ICRSS does not collect for the Bishop’s Appeal, nor does it benefit from this collection.

Whatever in the ICRSS’s churches that needs to be done by a bishop, however, is done by the Archbishop (confirmations, annual renewal of the Holy Oils…).

The Holy Days of Obligation are the same for the Archdiocese and the ICRSS. None are transferred.

There is no registration either with the ICRSS or the diocesan parishes, so I can’t answer this question.
 
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