Losing Holy Days of Obligation

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Because Christmas is a holy day of obligation, parishes are not going to be holding vigil Masses for Sunday. Instead, the evening Masses will have the readings for Christmas, not Sunday. Thus, there will not be an option to fulfill the Sunday obligation on Saturday evening. But your plan of going to midnight Mass and then again on Sunday will work out just fine; that’s actually what I’m doing as well.
 
All of the reasons given above for “losing” our nationwide celebration of the ancient Holy Days are legitimate. The fervor of the members of the Body of Christ is the loss that should be mourned. Every day should be seen as an opportunity to take part in the Sacrifice of Calvary and to greet Our Savior and invite Him into our own bodies.

The Holy Days, even if created as reasons for days off of work, have always been days of great joy. I remember in the ancient days when I was at university, the trucks delivering food and beverages to the Jesuit residence would be our primary indication that a great feast was upcoming! But seriously, the Church united in celebrating the reality of the Virgin’s Immaculate Conception and Jesus’ Ascension to His Father and so forth because of what those feasts meant to the Church and to its members insofar as our Redemption is concerned. We certainly should not need to be dragged kicking and screaming to church to recognize that.

The biggest puzzlement to me is that the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Conception of Jesus is no longer a Holy Day. What day could be holier? We have the Holy Day of Jesus’ Birth and the Holy Day of Mary’s conception (sometimes), but the American Bishops have chosen not to oblige the faithful to celebrate Mary’s birth or Jesus’ Conception. The reasons for the obligations are self-evident; but how can any thinking American Catholic not believe that every one who is able should attend Mass and receive the Eucharist on the anniversary of the Day when Jesus became Man?!
 
Ah–I see–I didn’t know that about no Saturday vigil (for Sunday) on Christmas. Thanks, Andreas. Merry Christmas!
 
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mercygate:
Unless you live in a place that does not have daily Masses (alas, they are becoming more numerous), you may attend Mass on any day that you wish to honor in that way.

I wouldn’t dream of missing Mass on Annunciation or Transfiguration.

As a Convert, I always find it odd, for example, that Catholics, chowing down on their T-bone on Friday, lament the passing of the no-meat rule. Nobody ever said you had to STOP observing this discipline.

I see in your post a regret that the Church is softening towards the secular culture, but nothing says YOU shouldn’t attend Mass on important Solemnities and feasts.
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Oooh, very well said!!! 👍
 
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Kielbasi:
In Catholic countries, such as in Europe, holy days of obligation are secular holidays as well. Everyone has the day off work, so everyone can make it.

In the US, its quite a different story, and with a greater percentage of the population working than ever before, its very difficult for many Americans to make it to mass on many of the days.

It seems more than reasonable to suppress the obligation in light of the facts in this particular country.
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Where I live the priest will have a 7PM vigil and a 9AM morning mass, so that allows most people the chance to go. But, folks who wouldn’t miss a night out with the girls, or their kid’s soccer game, somehow don’t seem to be able to make it. It’s all about priorities, I guess.
 
Well, 9am is rather late for most people who have to go to work–my parish offers daily Masses at 6:45am & 7:45am (English) and 7:15am (Polish), as well as a “lunch hour Mass” (12:10pm–I’m convinced it doesn’t start at straight noon to allow people time to get there from work). While they might add a 9am for a HDO, the standard times are still available and more likely to be utilized by those working outside the home.
 
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Originally Posted by Kielbasi
*In Catholic countries, such as in Europe, holy days of obligation are secular holidays as well. Everyone has the day off work, so everyone can make it.

In the US, its quite a different story, and with a greater percentage of the population working than ever before, its very difficult for many Americans to make it to mass on many of the days.

It seems more than reasonable to suppress the obligation in light of the facts in this particular country.*
Where I live the priest will have a 7PM vigil and a 9AM morning mass, so that allows most people the chance to go. But, folks who wouldn’t miss a night out with the girls, or their kid’s soccer game, somehow don’t seem to be able to make it. It’s all about priorities, I guess.
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Sincerely, WhiteDove
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That’s not the point. The Church intends these days to be a FULL Holyday – a day off work, special celebrations, family dinner and a festival Mass.

Pretending that observing this as just another workday except shoe-horning in a quickie 35 minute Mass without music or ceremony (as is typical in many parishes) and maybe even telling the family they are are their own to get fast food because of scheduling problems to get everyone to Mass suggests the true celebration of the holyday has been lost long ago.

it is simply Jansenism to suggest that people should be willing to “endure an inconvience” when in fact it should be a full day of celebration and festival.
 
I think there would be a lot to be said for the church to realign some of the holy days with our already established secular holidays so that most of the people can have the whole day off.

I think that’s what was done originally in scheduling Christmas and Easter , no?

What would be wrong with shuffling All Saints from Nov. 1 to Nov. 11th- when most folks have off for Veterans day, for example? (or alternatively, making Martinmas (already on the church calender) a holy day instead of All Saints)?
 
This is all a result of Vatican II and the way things are run by the new order and the bishops. I could not believe that All Saints day was thrown out the window because it fell near a Sunday and we did not have to go to Mass, so I instead went to a Traditional Mass with family.

The laity, at least the ones who know their religion as I have become more aware as I have got married and now in my 30’s, are realizing that watering down the sacrements, the liturgy, and making things “easier” is confusing many. It all starts in the seminaries, many of which are corrupt and do not want orthodox/conservative seminarians there as there is a push from many, especially here in the US to create a man made priest shortage by pushing out conservative seminarians with the hope of soon ordaining woman and married priests, which would then make the church even more appealing to the Protestants, which is who created the Novus Ordo Mass (with horrible results).

Go to a Traditional Church such as St Pius X which is in communion with Rome, as my family now travel 20 miles each holy day to receive the sacrements and worship our Lord as he intended us to.

God bless!
 
jtnova:
This is all a result of Vatican II and the way things are run by the new order and the bishops. I could not believe that All Saints day was thrown out the window …
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jtnova,

I think you are bound to be disappointed in the post-Counciliar church. One of the virtues of the Council is a rejection of the flawed thinking you show above. All Saints Day was not thrown out the window. It remains a solemnity of the Universal church. You or any one else is free to attend Mass.

You seem very rigid on being able to tell others what to do. How is your spiritual state bettered by giving orders to others?
 
Katherine, you are correct, I and many others are quite disappointed with todays church, if you can call it that anymore. You did not answer the question string, but just went after me. Yes, the Bishop here in NY said that no one had to go to mass All Saints Day because it fell if I remember correctly on a Sat and Sunday Mass would make up for it. At Christmas dinner, they were all so upset because they had to go to mass on Sat for Christmas on the 25th and also to Sunday mass on the 26th, and were hoping for another “get out of free mass card by the liberal Archbishop here”, who has been cited for teaching the layministers that there really is no transubstantiation taking place among many other flawed teachings, which someone actually wrote to Spirit Daily to complain as they are a member of the deacon program. Vatican II has done tremendous harm to the laity, the church, and the respect it once had. When you go from over 70% attendance in 1962 to less than 15% now, from 47,000 US seminarians to 5,000 today, to a confused and immoral priesthood, yes, it seems that the post council church is not for me…and for Many Others also!
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katherine2:
jtnova,

I think you are bound to be disappointed in the post-Counciliar church. One of the virtues of the Council is a rejection of the flawed thinking you show above. All Saints Day was not thrown out the window. It remains a solemnity of the Universal church. You or any one else is free to attend Mass.

You seem very rigid on being able to tell others what to do. How is your spiritual state bettered by giving orders to others?
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After each Council, there were those who fought tooth and nail against the teaching authority that Jesus gave to his church. It will be many more years before Vat.11 will be understood and be fully implemented. Probably, no one posting here will see it in their time. The church works very slowly.

God bless
 
Furthermore, as posted above, nothing prevents anyone from observing the actual day itself.
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Here’s the problem: No Mass celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God was offered yesterday by my parish. I went, but nobody was home. I understand that the “obligation” was lifted because it fell on a Saturday, but does that mean that the Mass was cancelled? I’m so ticked off at my parish right now. http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon8.gif
 
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