Feast day changes, St.Benedict

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pollycarp

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I am relatively new to tradition. Could someone tell me why feast days were changed - did this happen at Vatican 2? My traditional calendar says March 21 for St. Benedict, and the other calendar says July 11. I think St. B isn’t the only one.

Thanks for any replies. This really bothers me. :confused:
 
All I found was a Wikipedia (sorry) entry:
VenerationSt. Benedict spent the rest of his life realizing the ideal of monasticism which he had drawn out in his rule. He died at Monte Cassino, Italy, while standing in prayer to God. According to tradition, this occurred on March 21, 547. He was named patron protector of Europe by Pope Paul VI in 1964.[5] In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared him co-patron of Europe, together with Saints Cyril and Methodius.[6]
In the pre-1970 Roman Calendar, his feast is kept on the day of his death, 21 March. Because on that date his liturgical memorial would always be impeded by the observance of Lent,[7] the reform of the General Roman Calendar set an obligatory memorial for him on 11 July, the date on which some monasteries commemorated the translation of his relics to the monastery of St. Benoit-sur-Loire in Northern France. His memorial on 21 March was removed from the General Roman Calendar but is retained in the Roman Martyrology.[8]
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The Orthodox Church commemorates St. Benedict on March 14.[9]
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The Anglican Communion has no single universal calendar, but a provincial calendar of saints is published in each Province. In almost all of these, St Benedict is commemorated on 11 July annually.
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Or you can ask on the social group:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=321667&page=2
 
The monastery I am associated with as an oblate celebrates both feasts, but we renew our Benedictine promises on March 21.
 
Thanks CatholicFireman!

I just wish they’d have left the feast days alone. 🙂
 
In the Benedictine calendar March 21 is a feast and July 11 a solemnity.
 
Why would this bother you? Most Feasts and Memorials were transferred on the new calendar because they were conflicted. In the case of the Memorial of Saint Benedict it was transferred to July 11, the Day of the Translation of his relics, because March 21st was always a Lenten feria, therefore taking place over any celebration below a Solemnity.
 
Calendars change. New saints are added.

It is a good thing.
 
pollycarp said:
I am relatively new to tradition. Could someone tell me why feast days were changed - did this happen at Vatican 2? My traditional calendar says March 21 for St. Benedict, and the other calendar says July 11. I think St. B isn’t the only one.

Thanks for any replies. This really bothers me. :confused:
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Yeah, most of the changes were either part of the process of consolidating multiple minor feasts of single saints, or, as in the case you mention, moving an impeded feast to a date on which it can be given a proper celebration. The other instance I can think of is St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of Catholic schools, whose feast was moved from March 7 (almost always impeded by Lent) to January 28, the date of the translation of his relics, when it can be celebrated fully. This additionally allows Sts. Felicity and Perpetua, who are also on March 7, to be promoted from commemoration status since they are no longer overshadowed on that date by Thomas.
 
As a Byzantine Benedictine, we celebrate St Benedict on March 27th (old calendar). But there are actually a plethora of feasts in honour of St Benedict and these are variously celebrated by various Benedictine congregations and monasteries - which feasts are not celebrated by anyone else.

It is often the case that there will be only one or two Church-wide commemorations of a saint or group of saints by the universal Church with several lesser commemorations by local groups.

For example, the feast of the North American Jesuit Martyrs is celebrated universally on October 19th. In Canada, these Martyrs are also celebrated on September 26, the date in 1626 that they first arrived here.

In the Jesuit Order, the same Saints are celebrated on March 16th, the date of the martyrdom of St Jean de Brebeuf.

Then there are local commemorations of the days on which each of the Martyrs died, their heavenly birthdays: Sept 29 for St Rene Goupil, October 18 for St Isaac Jogues, October 19 for St John de la Lande, December 7 for St Charles Garnier, Dec. 8 for St Noel Chabanel (my in-laws have a cottage overlooking the area where St Noel was martyred), March 16 for St Jean de Brebeuf, March 17 for St Gabriel Lalemant and July 4th for St Antony Daniel.

Alex
 
MarkThompson said:
Yeah, most of the changes were either part of the process of consolidating multiple minor feasts of single saints, or, as in the case you mention, moving an impeded feast to a date on which it can be given a proper celebration. The other instance I can think of is St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of Catholic schools, whose feast was moved from March 7 (almost always impeded by Lent) to January 28, the date of the translation of his relics, when it can be celebrated fully. This additionally allows Sts. Felicity and Perpetua, who are also on March 7, to be promoted from commemoration status since they are no longer overshadowed on that date by Thomas.
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And St. Gregory the Great, formerly on 12 March, to 3 September. And St. Matthias the Apostle, from 24 February to 14 May.

The same was done in Advent for St. Thomas the Apostle, from 21 December to 3 July.
 
Nowhere_Man said:
Why would this bother you? Most Feasts and Memorials were transferred on the new calendar because they were conflicted. In the case of the Memorial of Saint Benedict it was transferred to July 11, the Day of the Translation of his relics, because March 21st was always a Lenten feria, therefore taking place over any celebration below a Solemnity.
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I have to check 2 calendars before I go to OF or EF mass every day to see whose feast day it is. I was always taught it was the day they died. Back in the day it was important whose feast day we were born on - My mother was born on the feast of St Clare. Now she is "born"on the feast of Jane Frances de Chantal. I was born on the feast of St. Polycarp, now St Timothy and Titus. Then one day St. Christopher was no more, etc… I don’t think you shuffle people’s traditions around, ferial day or not. Just my opinion.
 
sskelly said:
I have to check 2 calendars before I go to OF or EF mass every day to see whose feast day it is. I was always taught it was the day they died. Back in the day it was important whose feast day we were born on - My mother was born on the feast of St Clare. Now she is "born"on the feast of Jane Frances de Chantal. I was born on the feast of St. Polycarp, now St Timothy and Titus. Then one day St. Christopher was no more, etc… I don’t think you shuffle people’s traditions around, ferial day or not. Just my opinion.
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Just add these Saints to be your patrons. I think more are better
 
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