Holy Days: Obligation, Solemn, Simple, their rankings and Rite to Rite2

[Vman358]

Hi,
I posted this same thread in the Liturgy and Sacraments forum so as to get more answers.
Can someone give me a list of holy days in terms of importance?
i.e.
Holy Days of Obligation

1. Easter
2. (the 2nd most important holy day)
3. (the 3rd most important holy day)
   .
   .
   Solemn Holy Days
   #. (the # most important holy day)
   #. (the # most important holy day)
   .
   .
   .
   Simple Holy Days
   #. (the # most important holy day)
   #. (the # most important holy day)
   .
   .
   .
   etc.

Can this be done for the Latin and Byzantine Rites?

I’ve been told it is

1. Easter
2. Christmas
   for the Latin Rite

and

1. Easter
2. Theophany
3. Christmas
   for the Byzantine Rite

Can I have explanations on why the rankings of the holidays are the way they are? Why are some simple and others not; why are some solemn and others not. I already know (or think I know) about the 1.2.3. for the Byzantine: it is because The Lord’s ministry started when He was baptized by John.

Throughout this post, I am assuming that if one were to list every Catholic holy day in terms of importance within whatever Rite the list is for, one could group the days of obligation at the top, the solemn days in the middle, and the simple days at the bottom.

Thank you!

 

[Diak]

We really don’t have “days of obligation” in the same way.

We have Pascha (the Feast of Feasts) and the 12 Great Feast Days. These Twelve can be divided into Feasts of the Lord that occur on fixed days:

1. Exaltation of the Cross
2. Christmas
3. Theophany
4. Meeting (Presentation in the Temple)
5. Transfiguration

and those Great Feasts of the Lord that coincide with the moveable Paschal cycle:
6. Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)
7. Ascension
8. Pentecost

And Feasts of the Mother of God (all fixed days):
9. Nativity
10. Presentation in the Temple
11. Annunciation
12. Dormition

After these in descending rank there are “Vigil Rank” Feasts, “Polyeleos”, “Doxology” and “Six Stikhera” and “Three Stikhera (ordinary)” rank feasts. The terms refer to the rubrical changes at either Vespers (“six stikhera”) or Matins (“Polyeleos”, “Doxology”) or both for these types of feasts.

There are some “Vigil Rank” feasts associated with certain major saints, such as St. Nicholas, St. George, Sts. Peter and Paul, St. Elias, St. Michael the Archangel, the beheading and nativity of St. John the Baptist, some celebrated with more solemnity if a particular saint is the patron saint of the church, or associated with a particular church or ethnic identity, etc.

I’ll have to think a bit about “importance” of the greater feasts.

I

 

[bpbasilphx]

One otherwise good Orthodox writer said we know nothing about “First Class,” “Second Class” and the like.

What you gave, Diak, is just the same thing with different terminology. (Vigil, Polyeleos, Doxology…)

 

[Vman358]

I’ll have to think a bit about “importance” of the greater feasts. I

Please do and thank you thus far!

 

[Vman358]

Msgr. Peter D. Waslo, Chancellor has a document for the Ukrainian-Greek (Byzantine) Catholic Church in the Archeparchy (eparchy = diocese) of Philadelphia presenting the holy days of obligation.

images.acswebnetworks.com/1/1335/CelebrationofHolyDays.pdf

I’ve heard that Eastern Christians don’t like the word obligation because the emphasized point is that the laity want to go to church, not be forced to. Maybe some structure like this is good so one knows what to focus on, and is able to know what’s in priority if and when a compromise needs to be made.

 

[Hesychios]

Msgr. Peter D. Waslo, Chancellor has a document for the Ukrainian-Greek (Byzantine) Catholic Church in the Archeparchy (eparchy = diocese) of Philadelphia presenting the holy days of obligation.

images.acswebnetworks.com/1/1335/CelebrationofHolyDays.pdf

I’ve heard that Eastern Christians don’t like the word obligation because the emphasized point is that the laity want to go to church, not be forced to. Maybe some structure like this is good so one knows what to focus on, and is able to know what’s in priority if and when a compromise needs to be made.

It looks to me like nothing more than documentary evidence of a problem Greek Catholics are still having to deal with … pervasive latinization.

 

[dvdjs]

It looks to me like nothing more than documentary evidence of a problem Greek Catholics are still having to deal with … pervasive latinization.

What are you calling “Latin”? What is the evidence for pervasiveness?

 

[ConstantineTG]

Msgr. Peter D. Waslo, Chancellor has a document for the Ukrainian-Greek (Byzantine) Catholic Church in the Archeparchy (eparchy = diocese) of Philadelphia presenting the holy days of obligation.

images.acswebnetworks.com/1/1335/CelebrationofHolyDays.pdf

I’ve heard that Eastern Christians don’t like the word obligation because the emphasized point is that the laity want to go to church, not be forced to. Maybe some structure like this is good so one knows what to focus on, and is able to know what’s in priority if and when a compromise needs to be made.

I agree that East or West, the term obligation has a rather negative connotation. Are we obligated to eat 3 times a day? In a sense, doesn’t our body oblige us to? But at the same time no one has to impose an obligation on us so that we will do so. But how else would you term it? Should we call its the “days we have to go to church because its a really special day,” or just “day of obligation”. Given that the East doesn’t really have a term for it, borrow the one already in use by the West. Also the mentallity and understanding of the faith is greatly influenced by Roman Catholics, especially here in North America. This may be more easily understood to people who are here even though its very “Latin”.

 

[Little_Boy_Lost]

I like that image of the body requiring food. Maybe we could say the soul too desires a rekindling of the fire by the indwelling of Christ in the Holy Mystery?

Perhaps we should also consider our dear one who watches over us. = D

The angel who is always near us is by nothing so distressed and made indignant as when, without being constrained by some necessity, we deprive ourselves of the ministration of the Holy Mysteries and of reception of Holy Communion, which grants remission of sins. For at that hour the priest offers up the sacrifice of the Body of Him Who gives us life, and the Holy Spirit descends and consecrates the Body and Blood and grants remission to creation. The Cherubim, the Seraphim, and the angels stand with great awe, fear, and joy. They rejoice over the Holy Mysteries while experiencing inexpressible astonishment. The angel who is always by us is consoled, because he also partakes in that spectacle and is not deprived of that perfect intercourse. - Isaac the Syrian

 

[ConstantineTG]

I like that image of the body requiring food. Maybe we could say the soul too desires a rekindling of the fire by the indwelling of Christ in the Holy Mystery?

Perhaps we should also consider our dear one who watches over us. = D

Thats how my previous RC pastor describes it. He says he doesn’t get why some people can’t miss a meal, yet can miss Sunday Mass. That was indeed a great way to tell people how important Mass is without saying its an obligation.

 

[Vman358]

It looks to me like nothing more than documentary evidence of a problem Greek Catholics are still having to deal with … pervasive latinization.

I have heard this objection many times, and I feel like there is a stigma about this.

As someone who has been raised in the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church (UGCC), and then started checking out other churches in college, I’ve noticed a lot of intolerance due to, a perhaps, unintentional mix-up. The mixing up of true Latinization and of something that is “a good idea” that just happens to be used by the RCC before other Catholic Churches).

I think this a good idea, but because it’s foreign, or because it was employed by the RCC before i.e. the Byzantine Rite Churches, it is rejected. What does one do if one can only make a Divine Liturgy X number of days in a certain week and he must choose which ones to go to? A decision must be made.

I’m getting a little annoyed of how the 2 sides keep on using stereotypes to resist and even attack each other. There are definitely cases of one side proselytizing the other (just by sheer number this is more likely to be Latinization in our world today), but not every “foreign” idea is proselytization. It may just be a good idea. So many non-RCs are so afraid, and understandably so, of it, but it can get to the point where even good ideas can be trumped. It can be quite delicate at times.

Maybe I’m wrong regarding this issue, but I hope that we can resolve this.
May the Holy Spirit guide us all.

 

[Vico]

…Can someone give me a list of holy days in terms of importance?..

That is difficult, I would say they are not really ranked within categories.

General by Day:
Sunday - Resurrection
Monday - Holy Angels
Tuesday - St. John the Forerunner
Wednesday - The Precious Cross, the betrayal by Judas
Thursday - The Holy Apostles, St. Nicholas
Friday - The Precious Cross
Saturday - All Saints, the rest of the departed, original creation

Holy Days (Primary)

1. Pascha
2. All Sundays (Resurrection), Palm Sunday, Pentecost
3. Ascension Thursday
4. Nativity of the Lord
5. Theophany of the Lord
6. Dormition
7. Apostles Peter & Paul
8. Annunciation (Ukrainian)

Important
Presanctified during Great Fast W & F (+ Clean Monday, Holy Week: M, TU, W)
Holy Thursday, Holy Friday, Holy Saturday

Solemn Holy Days

1. Exaltation of the Cross
2. Transfiguration
3. Encounter of our Lord with Simeon and Anna
4. Annunciation (Byzantine)
5. Entrance of the Theotokos
6. Birth of the Theotokos
7. Protection of the Theotokos
8. Conception of Saint Anna
9. Synaxis of the Theotokos
10. Bright Monday
11. Birth of John the Baptist

Simple Holy Days

1. Three Holy Hierarchs
2. Bright Tuesday
3. George Great Martyr
4. Pentecost Monday
5. Elijah Great Prophet
6. Beheading of John the Baptist