Is Jan.1, 2011 a Holy Day of Obligation?

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Yes, in the Unites states, anyway. HOWEVER, the requirement for attending Mass has been suspended because it falls on a Saturday. There is another post here somewhere that discusses the particulars.

I supose you could say that it is a Holy Day just not one of Obligation. Most parishes in our area will be holding Masses both Friday night and Saturday morning.
 
Jan 1, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God is a holy day of obligation. It is true in the United States the bishops have decided to transfer the obligation to Sunday. This means as long as you attend the Sunday vigil Mass or Sunday Mass you have met your obligation.

In my area some churches are still holding Masses for Mary Mother of God. It also happens to be the first Saturday, so those celebrating first Saturday devotions will not want to miss.
 
beth40n2 said:
Jan 1, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God is a holy day of obligation. It is true in the United States the bishops have decided to transfer the obligation to Sunday. This means as long as you attend the Sunday vigil Mass or Sunday Mass you have met your obligation.
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They haven’t transferred the obligation to Sunday, they’ve abrogated the obligation to attend Mass on this solemnity, as do each time it falls on Saturday or Monday.

On January 1 the Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God will still be celebrated in most North American parishes. In the US, folk will not have to attend that Mass; in Canada, OTOH, they will have to attended since it’s our only Holy Day of Obligation other than Christmas and our obligation to attend Mass on this day is never abrogated.
 
beth40n2 said:
It is true in the United States the bishops have decided to transfer the obligation to Sunday.
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Only the Ascension has been transferred to the following Sunday in the U.S. unless I missed a recent statement to the contrary.
 
I’m still trying to figure out why 1/1 was changed from the Circumcision to the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. It seems to make more sense to have the birth of Christ, then the Circumcision and finish the octave with the Epiphany.
 
jj_nycguy said:
I’m still trying to figure out why 1/1 was changed from the Circumcision to the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. It seems to make more sense to have the birth of Christ, then the Circumcision and finish the octave with the Epiphany.
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In the 1962 calendar, it wasn’t the Feast of the Circumcision, it was simply the Octave of Christmas. The gospel reading for the Solemnity of Mary still contains the Gospel of Luke text regarding the circumcision like the old Octave Day did, the Alleluia verse is the same, and even the Collect is identical (though you wouldn’t know it from the current translation). The Postcommunion and Introit are similar.
 
jj_nycguy said:
The Feast of the Circumcision is on the pre-1960 General Roman Calendar. My 1945 Missal clearly states that it existed.

fisheaters.com/customschristmas7.html
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Even then, it had a double moniker: Circumcision and the Octave of Christmas. For whatever reason, Bl PP John XXIII dropped the former in favor of the latter. It was simply a change of name; the propers and readings, however, did not change.
 
So… why do we celebrate, in the NO, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, on 1/1, instead of the Circumcision or the final day of the Christmas Octave? That was my original question.
 
jj_nycguy said:
So… why do we celebrate, in the NO, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, on 1/1, instead of the Circumcision or the final day of the Christmas Octave? That was my original question.
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I suppose you do because that’s what’s on the Novus Ordo calendar. It’s one of those things that seems to have been changed for the sake of change. Apparently the parties involved didn’t like the idea of “Octaves” so they came up with something new, at least for this one. But, calling it the “Solemnity of Mary Mother of God” beats “World Day of Peace” as it was known for a while in the Novus Ordo in the 1980s.

FWIW, for me it’s the Circumcision, which is what is has always been (and remains) on the calendar of the Syriac churches. We also have the “Felicitations to the Holy Virgin” which is 26 December.
 
In my mind it is the Circumcision and will always be. Going to a Latin Mass weekly would be great, if there were one close enough… so I usually go when at work. For now, so I’m stuck with the NO and it’s happy happy messages, confession is only needed when do do something really really bad… like murder someone and the infamous; everyone goes to Heaven as long as they are nice.

I guess it could be worse, they could have called it “Let’s Just Get Along” Day.
 
jj_nycguy said:
So… why do we celebrate, in the NO, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, on 1/1, instead of the Circumcision or the final day of the Christmas Octave? That was my original question.
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It’s still the Octave Day of Christmas. It’s both the Octave Day and the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God - not either/or.

And the Circumcision is still commemorated in the Gospel reading of that day. Supposedly the Maternity of the BVM was celebrated on January 1 back in the sixth century, though I’ve yet to see any clear evidence of that. But that’s one of the reasons I’ve heard for the change.
 
There are various traditions associated with the first day of January. Anciently the Mother of God was honored–specifically, her role in the incarnation, and it is to this early feast that the 1970 kalendar sought to return. In fact, if one looks at the Mass for the feast of the Circumcision, one will see a Marian theme in the propers of the day, most notably in the postcomunion collect. This is a surivivng remnant of the earlier commemoration.

The Circumcision is also an old feast, as is the recognition of the day as the Octave of the Nativity.
 
jj_nycguy said:
I’m still trying to figure out why 1/1 was changed from the Circumcision to the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. It seems to make more sense to have the birth of Christ, then the Circumcision and finish the octave with the Epiphany.
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My Mom has been talking about this all week. Same question as you.
 
Even the opening prayer (collect) of the Mass for the Circumcision was Marian in composition, attesting to the ancientness of the feast.
 
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