Holy Day of Obligation - Ascention

  • Thread starter Thread starter LifeIsPrayer
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

LifeIsPrayer

Guest
Hey everyone, I hope you are having a blessed day today. This is my first post here on the catholic forums, and I am so thankful to have this website as a resource to help me come back to the faith. I woke up this morning thinking that today was a holy day of obligation, namely the Ascention of our Lord (May 9). There is a Thursday mass that I was going to attend at 9:00am, but now I see that the day of obligation has moved to Sunday (the 12th, Mother’s Day). I was wondering if I should still go to mass today. I mean, I know it would be a good thing to do, and the main reason I wouldn’t is because if I do then I run the risk of being slightly late to work (I’m a host at a restaurant and they really wouldn’t mind if I were a few minutes late). What does everyone think?
Thanks, and God bless!
Chris
 
You should not be late to work. If a daily mass fits in your schedule, then it is fine to attend. But one should not create a problem at one’s job to attend. It is not a day of obligation where you are, so you have no obligation to attend Mass.
 
Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut. I likely wouldn’t be late, its just a chance. But also, I don’t know for sure it ISN’T a holy day of obligation today - I just googled it and found that today technically is, but most parishes move it to Sunday.
 
LifeIsPrayer said:
Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut. I likely wouldn’t be late, its just a chance. But also, I don’t know for sure it ISN’T a holy day of obligation today - I just googled it and found that today technically is, but most parishes move it to Sunday.
Click to expand...
Each diocesan bishop has the perogative to dispense from obligatory mass attendance on Ascension"Thursday." So if it has been moved to Sunday in your diocese, you are under no obligation to attend mass today. I am one of those for whom our bishop has not dispensed us, so it is a holy day of obligation for our diocese.

Parish bulletins usually make the official announcement on the preceding Sunday so there can be no doubt about the obligation.
 
Sirach2 said:
Each diocesan bishop has the perogative to dispense from obligatory mass attendance on Ascension"Thursday."
Click to expand...
Actually this decision is made by the Archbishop (in the US anyway).
 
We don’t HAVE to go, but we are going anyway. Now, the Mass we will attend will not be the Mass of the Ascension, but we feel we would like to go to Mass on the day that the majority of the world will be recognizing the Ascension of Our Lord. Not in defiance of our local ordinary, but because it is something we personally would like to do.

And of course, we will still be there on Sunday as well, so it’s all good.

If you can go, and you want to go, then go. If you can’t make it, then you are under no obligation to do so.

~Liza
 
IIRC, it’s been moved to Sunday in most US dioceses, at least. The one I know of where it isn’t is the archdiocese of Omaha (the entire state of Nebraska)
 
Well I called my church and they told me they would celebrate it Saturday evening and Sunday, so I guess that answers my question 🙂
 
Razanir said:
IIRC, it’s been moved to Sunday in most US dioceses, at least. The one I know of where it isn’t is the archdiocese of Omaha (the entire state of Nebraska)
Click to expand...
Omaha diocese is not the entire state. 😛

Lincoln Diocese also does NOT move it to Sunday. Went to Vigil Mass last night. 🙂

I don’t understand why those other dioceses move it to Sunday…He ascended 40 days after he rose…not 42 😛
 
Lizanne,

If you can find a Maronite or a Byzantine Catholic parish near you, they will be serving the Divine Liturgy (Byzantine) or Qurbono (Maronite) proper to today.
 
Since the obligation’s been transferred, don’t be late for work. Have a good Ascension Thursday on Sunday though 😃
 
The decision on whether or not to transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension from Thursday to the following Sunday is up to each ecclesiastical province (i.e. an archdiocese and those dioceses associated with it).

Every province has elected to transfer the feast except for: Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia.

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.
 
Razanir said:
IIRC, it’s been moved to Sunday in most US dioceses, at least. The one I know of where it isn’t is the archdiocese of Omaha (the entire state of Nebraska)
Click to expand...
In the Philly, Scranton Metuchen and Camden dioceses, the Holy Day is today. I never lived in a diocese where it was moved.
 
Joe_5859 said:
The decision on whether or not to transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension from Thursday to the following Sunday is up to each ecclesiastical province (i.e. an archdiocese and those dioceses associated with it).

Every province has elected to transfer the feast except for: Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia.

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.
Click to expand...
Thanks Joe. This explains it to me!
 
I would say if you want to go, go:thumbsup:

I personally would think that being a few minutes late for work because you attended Mass really wouldn’t be a bad thing.
 
Razanir said:
IIRC, it’s been moved to Sunday in most US dioceses, at least. The one I know of where it isn’t is the archdiocese of Omaha (the entire state of Nebraska)
Click to expand...
The Provinces of New York, Hartford, Newark, Boston, Philadelphia and Omaha still observe the feast on the correct day.

EDIT: Joe 5859 beat me to it, and was far more thorough. :tiphat:
 
devoutchristian said:
Actually this decision is made by the Archbishop (in the US anyway).
Click to expand...
I don’t think it is a decision made by the Archbishop, as he doesn’t really have the authority to make such decisions in another Bishop’s diocese. It is more a decision made by all of the bishops in a given province, which includes the archbishop.
 
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.
Click to expand...
Thank you, Joe.

I didn’t hear about Mass times or see it in the bulletin. But I had a bit of a panic when I saw this thread.

But it has been moved for me.
 
babochka said:
I don’t think it is a decision made by the Archbishop, as he doesn’t really have the authority to make such decisions in another Bishop’s diocese. It is more a decision made by all of the bishops in a given province, which includes the archbishop.
Click to expand...
It’s a complicated situation. The Latin rite US bishops got permission from Rome to transfer the Ascension, but the permission did not actually transfer the Ascension, but allowed the Archbishops to transfer it for their ecclesiastical province, so I do believe that they get to make that decision in this case.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top