St. Barnabas' Day

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I know in some places (not England & Wales) tomorrow, 11th June, is Corpus Christi, it being the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. In other places (including England & Wales) because the episcopal (bishops’) conference has removed the precept that solemnity will be celebrated next Sunday (14th June). So, for those of us where tomorrow is not Corpus Christi we celebrate St. Barnabas the Apostle on his feast day: 11th June. I have looked at our national calendar (England & Wales), my diocesan ordo and several other ordos and note St. Barnabas’ Day is given the rank of obligatory memorial. Can anybody please tell me why St Barnabas’ Day is a memorial? I thought all the apostles were celebrated with at least the rank of feast.
 
St. Barnabas wasn’t one of the Twelve Apostles. Therefore he doesn’t fall within the group who are “celebrated with at least the rank of feast”.
 
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Here’s a good article on St Barnabas the Apostle.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

St. Barnabas, apostle

Saint of the day: St. Barnabas, apostle - Catholic News Agency
www.catholicnewsagency.com www.catholicnewsagency.com

I can see where it’s confusing because some of the articles on him say that he’s venerated “as one of the apostles” etc. but he’s really not. The only people who aren’t apostles but get sort of equal billing with them nowadays are St. Paul, the evangelists St. Mark and St. Luke, and since 2016, St. Mary Magdalene, as Pope Francis gave her day a “promotion” from memorial to feast.
 
When I wrote ‘St. Barnabas the Apostle’ I was simply copying what I found in the calendar and ordos I checked. For verification I have checked the Roman Martyrology, New Advent’s Catholic Encyclopedia and Wikipedia and they all call him an ‘apostle’.
 
Yes, one source I didn’t check but the others I did check state that he’s called an apostle in Scripture, including by St. Paul.
 
Neither St. Paul nor St. Barnabas was one of the twelve apostles, but scripture and the Church have always termed them divinely-called apostles, and liturgically they have been so honored.

In the pre-Vatican Missal, St. Barnabas was a second-class feast, as were the other apostles except Sts. Peter and Paul, who were first-class feasts. In the 1970 missal his feast was made a memorial, but I’ve never read anything as to why.
 
Thanks for this list! Seeing this thread reminded me of something. I would love to learn about the apostles and the saints and how God worked through them. Maybe i can find a list of the feast days on the usccb website…
 
There are some great online “saint of the day” resources. You can get to know a new saint or two or three every day.

Here are a few:

Catholic Culture’s liturgical calendar (primarily for USA)

www.catholicculture.org

Memorial of St. Barnabas, apostle - June 11, 2020 - Liturgical Calendar

St. Barnabas, designated by the Holy Spirit to share the charge and mission of the twelve Apostles, is venerated by the Church as one of them. He played an important part in the first extension of Christianity outside the Jewish world. It was Barnabas who presented St. Paul to the other Apostles
www.catholicculture.org www.catholicculture.org

Independent Catholic News liturgical calendar (primarily for UK)
https://www.indcatholicnews.com/saint/172

Franciscan Media’s saint-of-the-day page
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/source/saint-of-the-day/
 
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Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it. I bookmarked them all.
 
I noticed something interesting today in the LOTH. St. Barnabas is indeed commemorated with only a memorial, rather than a full feast, but there are a number of propers specific to his memorial…its one of those “special” memorials that is almost like a feast in that it doesn’t just draw from the Commons.

Also, regarding the OP’s point about St. Barnabas being an apostle…while he wasn’t one of the 12, in the liturgy we use the Commons of the Apostles for this day…
 
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