Holy day of Obligation - May

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Here in Connecticut it is. If you are living in Ohio, not so much…
 
Specifically, wrt the United States:
Regarding 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 provinces have transferred this Solemnity to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 17. If transferred, Thursday, May 14, is observed as the Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
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LITURGICAL CALENDAR FOR THE DIOCESES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 2015, Footnote 11

Outside the United States, consult your local calendar, or call your parish.

tee
Liturgical Calendar Nerd 🤓
 
From the above, if you are not sure which province you live in, then read this: tomorrow is a Holy Day for everyone living anywhere in: New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and all of the New England states.

God Bless!
 
Cupcake143 said:
Is tomorrow (May 14th) a holy day of obligation?
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1ke said:
That depends upon where you live.
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As the non-Catholic spouse of a Catholic, I occasionally find myself trying to figure out the logic of Catholic “rules.” This is one of them. From my viewpoint, if a day is “holy” enough to require Mass attendance in New York, it would be logical to assume that it’s just as holy in Maryland or Virginia, and Mass attendance would be required there too. This does not seem to be the case. So, is required Mass attendance entirely up to the whim of the local bishop? What criteria does he use to determine this?
 
WillyAL said:
As the non-Catholic spouse of a Catholic, I occasionally find myself trying to figure out the logic of Catholic “rules.” This is one of them. From my viewpoint, if a day is “holy” enough to require Mass attendance in New York, it would be logical to assume that it’s just as holy in Maryland or Virginia, and Mass attendance would be required there too. This does not seem to be the case. So, is required Mass attendance entirely up to the whim of the local bishop? What criteria does he use to determine this?
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As a lifelong Catholic I also have a problem with this. Missing mass today in Connecticut is a serious offense, punishable by Hell, but not so much in other parts of the United States. Makes no sense to me. 🤷
 
WillyAL said:
As the non-Catholic spouse of a Catholic, I occasionally find myself trying to figure out the logic of Catholic “rules.” This is one of them. From my viewpoint, if a day is “holy” enough to require Mass attendance in New York, it would be logical to assume that it’s just as holy in Maryland or Virginia, and Mass attendance would be required there too. This does not seem to be the case. So, is required Mass attendance entirely up to the whim of the local bishop?
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It is not *entirely *up to the bishop – The authority is rooted in Canon Law:
Can. 1246 §1. Sunday, on which by apostolic tradition the paschal mystery is celebrated, must be observed in the universal Church as the primordial holy day of obligation. The following days must also be observed: the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension, the Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter and Saint Paul the Apostles, and All Saints.
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§2. With the prior approval of the Apostolic See, however, the conference of bishops can suppress some of the holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday.
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In this case, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, with the prior approval of the Apostolic See, has delegated the decision to the several episcopal provinces. (Which is unusual – Typically the obligation is all or nothing throughout the country. I do not know why or how they decided to do otherwise in this case)
WillyAL said:
What criteria does he use to determine this?
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I think it is not typical for the conference to make known their reasoning. I have been told that in the US, the bishops recognize that many of the faithful do not fulfill their obligations in the middle of the week (and perhaps even fewer do so on Saturdays and Mondays), so they remove the occasion of sin by removing the obligations. Whether this is the best or most pastoral way to address the problem (if it is indeed their reasoning) is a topic for another thread.

tee
 
Blessedwithfive said:
As a lifelong Catholic I also have a problem with this. Missing mass today in Connecticut is a serious offense, punishable by Hell, but not so much in other parts of the United States. Makes no sense to me. 🤷
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The problem is not that it is not clearly defined, but that people don’t know where to find it. Most parishes publish an annual Calendar with them. Also, every good Missal will have them. Or, If you Google “Holy Days of obligation in the US 2015” you get this Liturgical calendar for the United States.
catholicism.about.com/od/2015calendar/a/2015_Liturgical_Calendar.htm
 
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