Latin-rite Holy Days of Obligation in U.S. before Vatican II

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Hello everyone,

Does anyone know what Holy Days of Obligation were observed for Latin-rite Catholics in the United States immediately before Vatican II? I’m aware that today there are currently 6 (effectively 5 in the Dioceses that transfer the Ascension to Sunday). Were the number of Holy Days of Obligation reduced after Vatican II like the number of obligatory days of fasting/abstinence?

Thanks.
  • IrishUke
 
IrishUkrainian said:
Hello everyone,

Does anyone know what Holy Days of Obligation were observed for Latin-rite Catholics in the United States immediately before Vatican II? I’m aware that today there are currently 6 (effectively 5 in the Dioceses that transfer the Ascension to Sunday). Were the number of Holy Days of Obligation reduced after Vatican II like the number of obligatory days of fasting/abstinence?

Thanks.
  • IrishUke
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The Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, convened in 1884, established a uniform national observance of six holy days of obligation. The Holy Father confirmed this decree in 1885.
  1. The Immaculate Conception (December 8)
  2. Christmas (December 25)
  3. Mary the Mother of God / Circumcision (January 1)
  4. The Ascension (forty days after Easter)
  5. The Assumption (August 15)
  6. All Saints (November 1)
1917 Canon Law:
C. 1247 §1 Feast days under precept in the whole Church are only: All and every [Sunday], the feast of the Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, Ascension, and the most holy Body of Christ, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption of Mary the Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of All the Saints.
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c. 1247 §1: “Dies festi sub praecepto in universa Ecclesia sunt tantum: Omnes et singuli dies dominici, festa Nativitatis, Circumcisionis, Epiphaniae, Ascensionis et sanctissimi Corporis Christi, Immaculatae Conceptionis et Assumptionis Almae Genitricis Dei Mariae, sancti Ioseph eius sponsi, Beatorum Petri et Pauli Apostolorum, Omnium denique Sanctorum.”

Codex Iuris Canonici Pii X Pontificis Maximi iussu digestus Benedicti Papae XV auctoritate promulgatus
(Rome: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1917)
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Compare to 1983:
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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I believe Epiphany is always on Sunday now in US, and the feasts of St. Joseph and Sts. Peter and Paul have never been Holy Days of Obligation in my lifetime in US. I don’t think Corpus Christi is a Holy Day of Obligation either.
 
Thanks for the reply. I believe those are the 10 Holy Days of Obligation observed in the Diocese of Rome, but each country’s Bishops’ Conference (and sometimes each Diocese) either adds or removes days from the list (with Rome’s approval).
 
IrishUkrainian said:
Thanks for the reply. I believe those are the 10 Holy Days of Obligation observed in the Diocese of Rome, but each country’s Bishops’ Conference (and sometimes each Diocese) either adds or removes days from the list (with Rome’s approval).
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Yes, see the list of six that I posted there later for the USA.
 
Ok I see it now, thanks. So basically, there’s no change from the late 19th century to now, except Ascension being transferred to Sunday in some Dioceses.
 
IrishUkrainian said:
Ok I see it now, thanks. So basically, there’s no change from the late 19th century to now, except Ascension being transferred to Sunday in some Dioceses.
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Yes. For Latin Catholics, except the Bishop of Honolulu designated Christmas and the Immaculate Conception as the only two Holydays of Obligation for the State of Hawaii, approved as an indult.

I am Byzantine so we in the USA have these:
January 6Theophany of our Lord
Ascension of our Lord
June 29Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
August 15Dormition of the Mother of God
December 25Nativity of our Lord
Our Sunday of All Saints is on the Sunday after Pentecost.
 
So you’re part of the Ruthenian Church then? I’m a Ukrainian Catholic and we have those 5, plus the Annunciation (March 25/April 7).

In Ukraine the following five days are also HOD, but the obligation is suppressed in the USA:

February 2/15 - Presentation of our Lord in the Temple
August 6/19 - Transfiguration of our Lord
September 8/21 - Nativity of the Mother of God
September 14/27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross
November 21/Dec. 4 - Presentation of the Mother of God in the Temple.
 
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IrishUkrainian said:
So you’re part of the Ruthenian Church then? I’m a Ukrainian Catholic and we have the same HOD, plus the Annunciation (March 25).
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Yes. I noticed the Annunciation. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk had issued a change of observance for three years in April 7, 2015. Have you heard is that was extended?


Ukrainian Catholic
Can. 114. (CCEO, c. 880 § 2)
§ 1. The faithful are obliged to celebrate all Sundays, the patronal feast of their
own parish, and the following twelve feasts which are:
  1. The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos;
  2. The Universal Exaltation of the Honourable and Life-giving Cross;
  3. The Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos;
  4. The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ;
  5. The Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ;
  6. The Encounter of Our Lord;
  7. The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos;
  8. The Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem;
  9. The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ;
  10. The Descent of the Holy Spirit;
  11. The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ;
  12. The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos;
 
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As far as I can remember, my latin mass missal from Angelus Press says that all the US current holydays are the same as the ones before Vatican II.
 
Yes, I’m aware. I asked my pastor about this recently, but he said that the Archeparchy of Philadelphia (and its suffragan eparchies) still only observe the 6 that I mentioned. I assume that the obligation to attend Divine Services on the other days was locally suppressed.
 
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Do any Ruthenian parishes still use the Julian calendar, or do they all use the Gregorian calendar now?
 
IrishUkrainian said:
I don’t owe you any further explanation
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Clare was quite civil…you could have let it go, or answered her inquery…getting defensive only leads to uncharitable combat…you must agree there is too much of that in the world.
 
If I may ask a similar question:

Does your parish follow the Julian calendar, or the Gregorian calendar? I ask because I know of some Ukrainian Catholic communities who follow either the Gregorian calendar or the Julian calendar.
 
IrishUkrainian said:
Do any Ruthenian parishes still use the Julian calendar, or do they all use the Gregorian calendar now?
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I think that the Archeparchy of Pittsburg, Eparchy of Parma, Eparchy of Passaic, and Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, all use the Gregorian. Uncertain about Eparchy of Mukacheve, Ukraine, and Apostolic Exarchate of Czech Republic however.
 
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My parish (and most in the USA) follows the Gregorian calendar, but you are correct - it varies by parish. Parishes that are mostly comprised of former RCs or 3rd/4th generation Slavic-Americans tend to use the Gregorian calendar. The parishes that are mostly comprised of recent (post-USSR collapse) immigrants tend to use the Julian calendar.

I believe some parishes also use the Julian calendar for purely logistical reasons. For example, if the parish doesn’t have its own church building and does Divine Liturgy at an RC parish, it could make sense to use the Julian so that the major holy days don’t line up. That way they don’t need to de-conflict for liturgy times, parking, etc.
 
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IrishUkrainian said:
For example, if the parish doesn’t have its own church building and does Divine Liturgy at an RC parish, it could make sense to use the Julian so that the major holy days don’t line up.
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There is a Ukrainian Catholic Mission near where I live that follows the Julian Calendar for partly this reason. Another reason is that the priest who ministers to it has his own full time parish four hours away, and they follow the Gregorian calendar. It’s the same idea as what you said though.
 
Yeah. My pastor has a full-time parish and multiple part-time missions that he ministers to. I believe some of the missions use the Julian.
 
Especially when I had zero posting history prior to this, I feel it was uncalled for to be implicitly accused of being a Trad who was trolling. Does Clare ask the OP of every thread what their aim is? She needs to stop being paranoid and looking for Trads/SSPXers/Sedevacantists behind every rock.
 
IrishUkrainian said:
Does anyone know what Holy Days of Obligation were observed for Latin-rite Catholics in the United States immediately before Vatican II? I’m aware that today there are currently 6 (effectively 5 in the Dioceses that transfer the Ascension to Sunday). Were the number of Holy Days of Obligation reduced after Vatican II like the number of obligatory days of fasting/abstinence?

Thanks.
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This is how it is Traditionally (pre-Vatican II)
  1. Christmas
  2. Circumcision
  3. Ascension of Our Lord
  4. Assumption of the BVM
  5. All Saints Day
  6. Immaculate Conception of he BVM
 
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