Ascension Thursday/Sunday

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Joe_5859

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I am surprised I haven’t seen any questions about this today. So I figured I’d create a preemptive thread in case someone thinks of the question later today and panics thinking they missed a Holy Day of Obligation. 🙂

The Ascension is a Holy Day of Obligation where Catholics are obligated to go to Mass. It would ordinarily fall on today (40 days after Easter), however in 1999, the bishops in the U.S. exercised the authority they have under Canon 1246, §2 and determined that each ecclesiastical province in the U.S. would vote on whether to transfer the feast to the following Sunday or leave it on Thursday. (You can see the official letter to that effect on the USCCB website.)

An ecclesiastical province is basically an archdiocese and those dioceses connected to it as “suffragan” dioceses. When the provinces voted, every province elected to transfer the feast except for Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia (evidence of that in footnote 11 of page 24 here).

Here are the dioceses under each province:
  • Boston
  • Archdiocese of Boston, MA
  • Diocese of Burlington, VT
  • Diocese of Fall River, MA
  • Diocese of Manchester, NH
  • Diocese of Portland, ME
  • Diocese of Springfield, MA
  • Diocese of Worcester, MA
  • Hartford
  • Archdiocese of Hartford, CT
  • Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
  • Diocese of Norwich, CT
  • Diocese of Providence, RI
  • New York
  • Archdiocese of New York, NY
  • Diocese of Albany, NY
  • Diocese of Brooklyn, NY
  • Diocese of Buffalo, NY
  • Diocese of Ogdensburg, NY
  • Diocese of Rochester, NY
  • Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY
  • Diocese of Syracuse, NY
  • Newark
  • Archdiocese of Newark, NJ
  • Diocese of Camden, NJ
  • Diocese of Metuchen, NJ
  • Diocese of Paterson, NJ
  • Diocese of Trenton, NJ
  • Omaha
  • Archdiocese of Omaha, NE
  • Diocese of Grand Island, NE
  • Diocese of Lincoln, NE
  • Philadelphia
  • Archdiocese of Philadelphia, PA
  • Diocese of Allentown, PA
  • Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, PA
  • Diocese of Erie, PA
  • Diocese of Greensburg, PA
  • Diocese of Harrisburg, PA
  • Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA
  • Diocese of Scranton, PA
So, basically, if you live in New England or Nebraska, you fulfill your Ascension obligation on Thursday (today). If you live somewhere else, you will fulfill your obligation on Sunday.

If you live outside of the United States, you’ll have to consult your own local bishops’ conference to see if the feast was transferred.

This ends my PSA. 🙂
 
Joe_5859 said:
So, basically, if you live in New England or Nebraska, you fulfill your Ascension obligation on Thursday (today). If you live somewhere else, you will fulfill your obligation on Sunday.
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Great PSA, except New York, New Jersey, and certainly Pennsylvania, aren’t in New England. 😃

Just nit-picking as usual. 🙂

–Jen
 
I get that the Northeast would likely have similar observances; but New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and …NEBRASKA?

Why is Nebraska observing it today?
 
I wish we observed it on Thursday. It’s much easier to remember to start a Pentacost novena (in commemoration of the original “novena” of the disciples), if you’re not celebrating the Ascension two days after you should have started the novena. 😃

But this PSA reminded me, so this year I’ll be OK. 🙂

Thanks!

–Jen
 
Because Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln at the time, and Archbishop Elden Curtiss of Omaha at the time, were not interested in making such a change.😉
 
revert_jen said:
Great PSA, except New York, New Jersey, and certainly Pennsylvania, aren’t in New England. 😃

Just nit-picking as usual. 🙂

–Jen
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Since we’re nitpicking…

I believe all of the Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate the Feast of the Ascension today, and I know with certainty that the Byzantine Catholic Church does.
 
revert_jen said:
Great PSA, except New York, New Jersey, and certainly Pennsylvania, aren’t in New England. 😃

Just nit-picking as usual. 🙂

–Jen
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“Eh, close enough,” says the guy from the Midwest. 😛 😃 :o

Sometimes, in my effort to simplify, I wind up oversimplifying. :o
 
Interestingly, I think the Vatican is celebrating the Ascension on Sunday this year, unless the move is more permanent, as Italy celebrates the Ascension on Sunday.
 
janeway529 said:
Interestingly, I think the Vatican is celebrating the Ascension on Sunday this year, unless the move is more permanent, as Italy celebrates the Ascension on Sunday.
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When did this start?

The Feast of the Ascension is a national holiday in Italy, and according to a number of tourist websites, was celebrated this year on May 15. Why would the Italian Bishop’s conference choose to move it to Sunday when it is already a secular national holiday?
 
babochka said:
When did this start?

The Feast of the Ascension is a national holiday in Italy, and according to a number of tourist websites, was celebrated this year on May 15. Why would the Italian Bishop’s conference choose to move it to Sunday when it is already a secular national holiday?
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On May 15? Are you sure? That was yesterday, Friday. In that case, we have three possible days of the week for Ascension: Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
 
BartholomewB said:
On May 15? Are you sure? That was yesterday, Friday. In that case, we have three possible days of the week for Ascension: Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
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Oops. I meant the 14th. I wa writing on the 15th.😊 At any rate, I’d be shocked if Italy or any traditionally Catholic countries had transferred the feast, as it is a national holiday in those countries. One of the stated reasons for transferring the feast is to allow people to more easily attend Mass in places in which it is not also a secular holiday.
 
In Canada, it is moved to the following Sunday. But at the Benedictine abbey to which I’m attached, it is celebrated on Thursday of the 6th week of Easter. The abbey follows the Benedictine calendar, not the diocesan one.
 
It’s celebrated on Sunday in my dioceses even through it’s not 40 days after Easter
 
babochka said:
Oops. I meant the 14th. I wa writing on the 15th.😊 At any rate, I’d be shocked if Italy or any traditionally Catholic countries had transferred the feast, as it is a national holiday in those countries. One of the stated reasons for transferring the feast is to allow people to more easily attend Mass in places in which it is not also a secular holiday.
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From Rocco Palmo’s twitter on last year’s Ascension feast:

If you thought the US’ dueling Ascensions was awkward, another example: in the Vatican, feast is today… in Italy, however, it’s Sunday."

twitter.com/roccopalmo/status/472054686858477568
FrDavid96 said:
According to the Vatican’s website: on Sunday May 17, the Holy Father will be celebrating the 7th Sunday of Easter.

w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/events/event.dir.html/content/vaticanevents/en/2015/5/17/canonizzazioni.html
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Hmm…weird. I don’t think there was a homily published for Pope Francis’ daily Mass on such an important feast day. :hmmm:
 
janeway529 said:
Interestingly, I think the Vatican is celebrating the Ascension on Sunday this year, unless the move is more permanent, as Italy celebrates the Ascension on Sunday.
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No. The Vatican celebrates all 10 holydays as listed in canon 1246 (Holy Days of Obligation). So that means Vatican celebrates the Ascension on the Thursday of the 6th Week of Easter. Italy celebrates it on Sunday, according to the Italian Bishops Conference.

It reminded me of my talk with my traddie best friend last Thursday. I greeted him, “Oh, happy Solemnity of the Ascension to you!” (since here in the Philippines, it is celebrated on Sunday and in the EF form, on thursday.) He greeted me back and I said, “Nope, too early.”
 
In the EF I attended, the Sunday after Ascension was celebrated today.
 
babochka said:
Since we’re nitpicking…

I believe all of the Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate the Feast of the Ascension today, and I know with certainty that the Byzantine Catholic Church does.
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Yes, we don’t “transfer Solemnities” - feast days fall as they do. For us American Ruthenians, Ascension is a day of precept (obligation) celebrated on Thursday.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and let your glory be over all the earth.
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ByzCathCantor said:
Yes, we don’t “transfer Solemnities” - feast days fall as they do.
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Even when Annunciation falls on Great Friday, as it will next year.:). We celebrate Annunciation until noon, then Great and Holy Friday. Not sure how that works out for Vespers on Holy Thursday, though.
 
babochka said:
Even when Annunciation falls on Great Friday, as it will next yeat.
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The quintessential example!

BTW - for the uninitiated, this is the only circumstance under which a Eucharist Liturgy is celebrated on Good Friday.
 
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