Readings for May 8th?

[Tarpeian_Rock]

The USCCB website gives both 7th Sunday of Easter and Solemnity of the Ascension for Sunday May 8th. Which can I expect to hear at Mass, and who determines that?

 

[dans0622]

The USCCB website gives both 7th Sunday of Easter and Solemnity of the Ascension for Sunday May 8th. Which can I expect to hear at Mass, and who determines that?

Hello,

The diocesan bishops of your “province” determine it. I could be mistaken but I think the bishops of your province (Boston) have decided to keep the Ascension observance on the appropriate Thursday. So, you’d hear the 7th Sunday readings.

Dan

 

[RCTechGeek]

In a perfect world, the feast of the Ascension would always be on its proper day, a Thursday (about 40 days after Easter). This is true for both the Extraordinary Form Roman-rite calendar and the calendars of all of the Eastern Catholic churches (and Eastern/Oriental Orthodox churches). In the Ordinary Form, the feast of Ascension is supposed to be on that Thursday as well. However, in the Ordinary Form, an individual bishop can move the feast of the Ascension to Sunday for his diocese and since the Ascension is of a greater rank then the 7th Sunday of Easter, the feast of the Ascension would trump the celebration of the Sunday of Easter. Since the USCCB posts the readings for the whole US, it lists both in order to compensate for bishops which move the feast to Sunday.

 

[powerofk]

Right. Most provinces of the US have moved the Solemnity of the Ascension to the 7th Sunday of Easter. However, the provinces of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Hartford, Omaha (and I believe, Washington DC, but I’m not so sure about the last one - and there might be more) have kept the Ascension on its proper date - 40 days after Easter. If the Ascension is celebrated on its proper date, it is a Holy Day of Obligation. Otherwise, the day is simply an Easter weekday (or, in the case of last year, could be a minor feast; for instance, last year, the feast of St. Matthias, apostle, fell on Ascension Thursday). This change came about around 1999 or 2000, because I remember it happening when I was in college, but it wasn’t my first year in college.

 

[tee_eff_em]

Hello,

The diocesan bishops of your “province” determine it. I could be mistaken but I think the bishops of your province (Boston) have decided to keep the Ascension observance on the appropriate Thursday. So, you’d hear the 7th Sunday readings.

Dan

Correct.

Right. Most provinces of the US have moved the Solemnity of the Ascension to the 7th Sunday of Easter. However, the provinces of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Hartford, Omaha (and I believe,

Newark -]Washington DC/-]

, but I’m not so sure about the last one - and there might be more) have kept the Ascension on its proper date - 40 days after Easter.

(ie. not Washington, but Newark)

tee
Armchair Liturgical Calendar Nerd