Wasn't today a feast of the Mother of God?

[Ceil-1]

:Am I mistaken, or was today a feast day in honor of Mary?

Not one word was mentioned about her in Mass, except for the Gospel. Not one song sung in her honor.

What do priests with a liberal bent have against her?

I once heard a holy priest say that a priest who wishes to keep his faith needs a great devotion to the mother of God. Priests who are lax about the Faith always ignore her, I;ve noticed. This saddens me.

Pray for the conversion of lukewarm priests.

 

[Cat]

We were very blessed.

Mary’s Feast Day was mentioned at the very beginning of Mass by Father as he welcomed us. He also reminded us that it is the World Day of Peace, and wished us a Happy New Year.

The homily was all about Mary, challenging us to pray a family Rosary and to return to devotion to Mary our Mother, as this is the best hope we have of world peace. Father reminded us of several events in history where the intercession of the Blessed Mother was responsible for victory for Christians. He told us about the Early Church and described the evidence that Marian devotion was part of the Early Church. He told us of Martin Luther’s devotion to Mary even after he left the Catholic Church, and quoted from a Marian prayer that Luther wrote in his later years. He lamented the loss of Marian devotion after Vatican II. He ended his homily with the Hail Mary, which all of us joined.

We sang a Marian hymn as the Preparation Hymn.

The cantor sang a Communion Meditation about Mary.

My daughter, who is in RCIA, attended with us, and she was in tears by the end of the Mass. She said that the homily was very convicting.

Perhaps the difference is that this parish has Franciscan friars instead of just regular priests. I’ve noticed that the Franciscans seem to have a great devotion to Mary.

Like I said, we are blessed.

 

[jimmy2010]

Since today is not a holy day of obligation, there wasn’t any dedicated singing in our church. The church was packed though, and the priest preached about how Mary can help lead us to Jesus. We ended the Mass with a prayer to our Lady of Perpetual Help and singing the Ave Maria song.

Since you didn’t hear anything of Mary, maybe you should read a Hail Mary and mediate on how she can help bring you closer to Jesus?

God bless!
JL

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Since today is not a holy day of obligation, there wasn’t any dedicated singing in our church. The church was packed though, and the priest preached about how Mary can help lead us to Jesus. We ended the Mass with a prayer to our Lady of Perpetual Help and singing the Ave Maria song.

Since you didn’t hear anything of Mary, maybe you should read a Hail Mary and mediate on how she can help bring you closer to Jesus?

God bless!
JL

I do not know where you are, but today was a Holy Day of Obligation here.

Also 6 candles were used today instead of the normal two at the parish.

 

[jimmy2010]

I live in San Diego. On Sunday Mass, the priest mentioned that January 1st, the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a holy day of obligation for us. It was in the past though (obligatory last year I believe).

God bless!
JL

 

[st_lucy]

I live in San Diego. On Sunday Mass, the priest mentioned that January 1st, the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a holy day of obligation for us. It was in the past though (obligatory last year I believe).

God bless!
JL

Today is/was a holy day

2007/2008 – Cycle A, Year II

Advent – Sunday, December 2, 2007

Immaculate Conception – Saturday, December 8, 2007 (Holy Day of Obligation)

Christmas Day =“font-size:11.0pt”> – Tuesday, December 25, 2007 (Holy Day of Obligation)

Mary, Mother of God – Tuesday, January 1, 2008 (Holy Day of Obligation)

Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Holy Saturday – Saturday, March 22, 2008 (Civil twilight ends at 7:06 pm CST)

Easter – Sunday, March 23, 2008

Ascension Sunday – Sunday, May 4, 2008

Pentecost – Sunday, May 11, 2008

Assumption of Mary – Friday, August 15, 2008 (Holy Day of Obligation)

All Saints Day – Saturday, November 1, 2008 (Holy Day Obligation is abrogated)

from cathdal.org/LitCalendar.htm

 

[jimmy2010]

I wonder if a Bishop can change what the USCCB sets? I recalled clearly what the priest said last Sunday’s Mass regarding today. The church was still packed but with no music, which is usually included in all holy days of obligation.

God bless,
JL

 

[WanderAimlessly]

I wonder if a Bishop can change what the USCCB sets? I recalled clearly what the priest said last Sunday’s Mass regarding today. The church was still packed but with no music, which is usually included in all holy days of obligation.

God bless,
JL

Just checked. It is not a Holy Day of Obligation in the Diocese of San Diego, but it is here in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

 

[jmcrae]

By contrast, our priest had us sing quite a few Marian hymns, and we prayed the Hail Mary at least a couple of times during the course of the evening (we had Mass followed by a period of Adoration.)

In his homily, he said, “Why should we be so afraid to honor Mary? So what if someone thinks we are making her into a goddess? We know that we are not - and there is nothing we can do for her that is greater than what God did for her. If she’s good enough for God, then she’s good enough for us.”

 

[WanderAimlessly]

From the USCCB Website:

**Holidays - Holy Days of Obligation: **Feasts in Latin-rite churches on which Catholics are required to assist at Mass. In the United States these are: Christmas, (The Nativity of Jesus); January 1, (Mary Mother of God); Ascension of the Lord forty days after Easter; August 15, (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary); November 1, All Saints’ Day; and December 8, Immaculate Conception (of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Outside the United States, variations of Holy Days may occur.

usccb.org/comm/alphagloss.shtml#h

 

[benedictgal]

If memory serves, the provinces can make regional rulings regarding Holy Days of Obligation. The province of Texas, for example, went ahead and swapped Ascension Thursday for Ascension Sunday . I personally don’t care for the change and hope that with the new cardinal in our area, something will change.

I don’t quite understand, though, why your part of California wouldn’t have mark January 1st as a Holy Day of Obligation? Is the Rose Parade trumping it, or does your part of the state have Bowl fever?

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

I don’t have a firm opinion on the legitimacy of dropping the obligation for the day - I smell a rat, but the point about a certain level of provincial authority is true, so I’ll withhold judgment on the legitimacy.

As to not hearing anything or at least not enough about Mary on her feast, though, it is important to know that this one day is actually fulfilling many functions. For one, it is the octave of the Nativity of our Lord, and thus the Gospel (in the ordinary form) begins by recounting that event. Also, it is a commemoration of Jesus’ circumcision, and was traditionally referred to as the feast of the Circumcision of our Lord. The Mass, though, also long had a focus on Mary’s virginal maternity, and in the liturgical reform the mandarins overseeing things decided to focus the feast on this aspect. But since it is only one aspect of a full plate, I wouldn’t be too put off if a priest chose a different but legitimate angle to emphasis on any one particular Jan. 1.

UPDATE: There’s lots of good info on this feast on another thread: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=208778

 

[RLT]

…

 

[IrishAm]

We were “very Mary” at yesterday’s extremely well attended Mass. And it was lovely.

 

[AngelRose81]

We were “very Mary” as well!

We had the vigil on Monday night and then one service yesterday (which I attended) and it was fairly well attended.

What is sad to me though, is how many people just ignore Holy Days for whatever reason. I understand that sometimes, you can’t make it due to illness, etc. but it seems that most of the parish doesn’t go to any of the services (there’s hardly any cars there for any of the Holy Day services except Christmas and Easter, well at least not as many as there are on Sundays) . I’m not trying to be and really don’t mean to be judgmental but I guess I just don’t understand why it seems that people don’t take their faith seriously anymore…

 

[IrishAm]

We were “very Mary” as well!

What is sad to me though, is how many people just ignore Holy Days for whatever reason. I understand that sometimes, you can’t make it due to illness, etc. but it seems that most of the parish doesn’t go to any of the services (there’s hardly any cars there for any of the Holy Day services except Christmas and Easter, well at least not as many as there are on Sundays) . I’m not trying to be and really don’t mean to be judgmental but I guess I just don’t understand why it seems that people don’t take their faith seriously anymore…

I know many are more faithful in their Sunday attendance than on Holy Days, but many also attend Holy Day services away from their normal parishes. I am always pleased to see how full the city parishes are around my work site. Our home parishes may be a bit empty, but the worker bees are still attending mass.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Could it be that because the Diocese of San Diego has such a large number of Mexicans, the day of obligation was transferred to the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and this was a recent change?

Jim

 

[jmcrae]

Could it be that because the Diocese of San Diego has such a large number of Mexicans, the day of obligation was transferred to the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and this was a recent change?

Jim

That seems like a long way to tranfer it. Aren’t both days considered Holy Days of Obligation, in Spanish/Portugese Americas?

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I live in San Diego. On Sunday Mass, the priest mentioned that January 1st, the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a holy day of obligation for us. It was in the past though (obligatory last year I believe).

God bless!
JL

This is from the Diocese of San Diego website.

Jan 1 was a Holy Day of Obligation

diocese-sdiego.org/HolyDays0607.pdf

Jim

 

[Ignatius]

This is from the Diocese of San Diego website.

Jan 1 was a Holy Day of Obligation

diocese-sdiego.org/HolyDays0607.pdf

Jim

This is for '06 and '07, Unfortunately the Diocese web site hasn’t yet listed the Holy Days of Obligation of 2008. In '06 and '07 Jan 1 fell on Sat and Mon respectively. According to the Conference of Catholic Bishops when a it falls a Sat or Mon it is abrogated. However, in 2008 Jan 1 is on a Tuesday and is, in fact, a holy day of obligation.

Here is the actual Decree from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Conference of Catholic Bishops
**United States of America **
Decree of Promulgation

On December 13, 1991 the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States of America made the following general decree concerning holy days of obligation for Latin rite Catholics: In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:

January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God;

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension;

August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary;

November 1, the solemnity of All Saints;

December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception;

December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.
This decree of the Conference of Bishops was approved and confirmed by the Apostolic See by a decree of the Congregation for Bishops (Prot. N. 296/84)