Holy days of Obligation

  • Thread starter Thread starter Montie_Claunch
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Montie_Claunch

Guest
What are the Holy days of Obligation (I know of Easter and Christmas)? Why is it that the church holds them as Holy Days of Obligation? I have heard that in areas that the Holy Days of Obligation are diffrent (like in the U.S. as opposed to Europe), Is this True? Why? Thanks and God bless.
 
According to Canon Law:

Canon 1246 §1 The Lord’s Day, on which the paschal mystery is celebrated, is by apostolic tradition to be observed in the universal Church as the primary holyday of obligation. In the same way the following holydays are to be observed: the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of St Joseph, the feast of the Apostles SS Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints.
§2 However, the Episcopal Conference may, with the prior approval of the Apostolic See, suppress certain holydays of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday.
 
more interesting is if you are visiting another country whose ules are you obligated to follow? There was the most interesting of aruments between or priest and the tour guide when our school visted Italy one year during the Epiphany. In America the Epiphany is moved to a Sunday so they didn’t schedule a mass for that day and a planned tour was scheuled. However in Italy the day is one of obligation and our priest insisted that they allow us to go to a mass. The tour guide said no with good reason based on today’s society, since he did not want to be sued for not providing the full tour on the intintery. What ended up happening was they had two buses and those that wanted to go to mass could sign a waiver relaesing the tour guide of liability and go to mass. The others, could go on the tour as planned and not go to mass. What was funny however was that one of the buses was red and one was white and which one do you think they gave the passengers skipping mass and going on the tour?
 
Montie Claunch:
What are the Holy days of Obligation (I know of Easter and Christmas)? Why is it that the church holds them as Holy Days of Obligation? I have heard that in areas that the Holy Days of Obligation are diffrent (like in the U.S. as opposed to Europe), Is this True? Why? Thanks and God bless.
Click to expand...
The Holy Days of Obligation is this Country are:

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8th

Christmas, December 25th

St. Mary, The Mother of God, January 1st

The Epiphany of the Lord, January 6th (Moved to the 2nd Sunday after Christmas in the USA)

The Ascension of the Lord, Thursday after the 7th Sunday in Easter (Observed on the 7th Sunday after Easter Sunday in the Western USA)

Corpus Christi, Thursday after Trinity Sunday (Observed on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday in USA)

The Aussumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15th

All Saints’ Day, November 1st

These are all of the Holy Days of Obligation 2-3 of them have been moved to a Sunday in this country. In Europe there are more, they are obligated to attend Mass on Most of the Solemnities.
 
I don’t know of any phrase in our Church that rattles my cage as bad as “Holy Day of Obligation”. I don’t go to Mass to fulfill an obligation, I go because I wish to be fulfilled.

Someday I’m going to start a petition to call them “Holy Days of Opportunity”!!!

Notworthy
 
40.png
NotWorthy:
Someday I’m going to start a petition to call them “Holy Days of Opportunity”!!!

Notworthy
Click to expand...
I have heard that term used already for when Holy Days fall on a Friday, Saturday, or Monday. Those are usually moved to Sunday. The priest at one of my old parishes use to call the actualy days “Holy Days of Opportunity”

PF
 
Psalm45:9:
The Ascension of the Lord, Thursday after the 7th Sunday in Easter (Observed on the 7th Sunday after Easter Sunday in the Western USA)
Click to expand...
I made a little typo, The Ascension of The Lord is on the Thursday after the sixth Sunday in Easter (40 days after Easter Sunday). In the western part of the USA, it is observed on the 7th Sunday in Easter.
Psalm45:9:
Corpus Christi, Thursday after Trinity Sunday (Observed on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday in USA)
Click to expand...
The reason for Corpus Christi being observed on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday is because Pentecost used to be an octave and Trinity Sunday was the last day, making the week between Pentecost Sunday and Trinity Sunday part of the Easter Season. So Corupus Christi was observed on the Thursday right after Easter Season, since our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist on a Thursday.
 
Speaking of HolyDays, is the church giving us a mixed message about their importance. Is the church telling us that HolyDays are not really a big deal?

Our Parish has 8 Sunday Masses (including Vigil) but only 3 HolyDay Masses (including Vigil).

Of our 8 Sunday masses 5 are usually full and the other 3 are above half full. Is the church saying that we do not expect 60% of you to attend Mass on a HolyDay… providing in essence an unintended dispensation?

We actually have fewer HolyDay Masses than Priests… make me wonder. Is the message that HolyDay Masses are as important as Sunday not worth the priests saying a few lightly attended masses.

I do not have a problem with rescheduling the Mass times for HolyDays (that makes sense) but with the reduction of the number of Masses and thus the reduction of Seating Capacity.

My wife says that HolyDays are as important as ever… I tend to disagree and am less likely to attend.

Don1852
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top