When Are the Holy Days of Obligation?

[BlueRain]

I didn’t know that All Saints was a Holy Day of Obligation. Can someone please explain these better to me? I’m trying to read about them and I’m confused on the days you do have to go and the days you don’t. I read that if it falls on a Monday fpr certain days, you don’t have to go. Does anyone have a link or site that would have a calender with these dates.

 

[adrift]

creighton.edu/~alackamp/holydays/answer.html

The 1983 Code of Canon Law identifies Sunday as “the primordial
holy day
of obligation” in the universal Church.

In addition to Sunday there are 10 other days of obligation:

1. The Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas)
2. The Epiphany (Jan. 6.)
3. The Ascension (40 days after Easter)
4. The Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) not observed in the United States
5. Holy Mary, the Mother of God (octave day of Christmas, Jan. 1)
6. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8)
7. The Assumption (Aug. 15)
8. St. Joseph (March 19) not observed in the United States
9. Ss. Peter and Paul (June 29) not observed in the United States
10. All Saints (Nov. 1)
    The 1983 Code of Canon Law also states that the conference of Bishops
    (usually the bishops of a particular country of a region) can suppress or
    transfer the observance of these days, after approval from the Apostolic See (i.e. the Vatican)
    Several years ago the National Conference of Catholic Bishops determined that the holy days of Mary, the Mother of God (Jan. 1), the Assumption (Aug. 15) and All Saints (Nov. 1) would not be observed with the obligation of participating in Mass whenever they would be a Saturday or Monday. Whenever these holy days are a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday then they would be observed with the obligation of participation in Mass. This decision was approved by the Vatican.
    In the past year the conference of Bishops received approval to transfer the holy days of Ascension Thursday to Sunday. The bishops of each province had to agree to this transfer before it was permissible. In Nebraska, which is the Metropolitan Province of Omaha or the the dioceses of Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, the bishops determined that Ascension Thursday should be observed on the 40th day after Easter rather thanmoving it to a Sunday.

 

[Confiteor]

creighton.edu/~alackamp/holydays/answer.html

The 1983 Code of Canon Law identifies Sunday as “the primordial
holy day
of obligation” in the universal Church.

In addition to Sunday there are 10 other days of obligation:

1. The Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas)
2. The Epiphany (Jan. 6.)
3. The Ascension (40 days after Easter)
4. The Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) not observed in the United States
5. Holy Mary, the Mother of God (octave day of Christmas, Jan. 1)
6. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8)
7. The Assumption (Aug. 15)
8. St. Joseph (March 19) not observed in the United States
9. Ss. Peter and Paul (June 29) not observed in the United States
10. All Saints (Nov. 1)
    The 1983 Code of Canon Law also states that the conference of Bishops
    (usually the bishops of a particular country of a region) can suppress or
    transfer the observance of these days, after approval from the Apostolic See (i.e. the Vatican)
    Several years ago the National Conference of Catholic Bishops determined that the holy days of Mary, the Mother of God (Jan. 1), the Assumption (Aug. 15) and All Saints (Nov. 1) would not be observed with the obligation of participating in Mass whenever they would be a Saturday or Monday. Whenever these holy days are a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday then they would be observed with the obligation of participation in Mass. This decision was approved by the Vatican.
    In the past year the conference of Bishops received approval to transfer the holy days of Ascension Thursday to Sunday. The bishops of each province had to agree to this transfer before it was permissible. In Nebraska, which is the Metropolitan Province of Omaha or the the dioceses of Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, the bishops determined that Ascension Thursday should be observed on the 40th day after Easter rather thanmoving it to a Sunday.

I believe Jan 6 is also one of the “universal” Holy Days of Obligation NOT observed in the US. In all, we’ve got 6 HD of Obligation (in addition to Sundays of course) including those that do not always require Mass attendance and Ascension which is generally celebrated on Sunday in most areas of the US.

 

[adrift]

Confiteor:

I believe Jan 6 is also one of the “universal” Holy Days of Obligation NOT observed in the US. In all, we’ve got 6 HD of Obligation (in addition to Sundays of course) including those that do not always require Mass attendance and Ascension which is generally celebrated on Sunday in most areas of the US.

Thanks I missed Jan 6 and you are correct.

 

[BlueRain]

Thnak You Adrift

 

[Gwyn]

Would depend where in the world you are located. The Vatican leaves it up to the archdioceses to set the Holy days of Obligation.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Day_of_Obligation

I remember growing up on India, Assumption was a day of Obligation, since August 15 is Independence day and a public holiday. However it is not in Canada.
Also, US observes Nov 1 - All Saints day as a day of Obligation, but Canada does not

 

[cameron_lansing]

Gwyn:

Would depend where in the world you are located. The Vatican leaves it up to the archdioceses to set the Holy days of Obligation.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Day_of_Obligation

I remember growing up on India, Assumption was a day of Obligation, since August 15 is Independence day and a public holiday. However it is not in Canada.
Also, US observes Nov 1 - All Saints day as a day of Obligation, but Canada does not

Well, yes and no, Gwyn. Adrift already treated this correctly. The authority does not belong to the archdiocese but to the episcopal conference of the nation or territory which supreme church authority has erected (canons 447, 449). As canon 1246§2 provides, the conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See. Canada and the U.S. have such episcopal conferences.

Your comments do call another point to mind though. The observance of law is also modified by the status of the person in a given territory. Residents, travellers (from outside the territory), and transients would be obliged to the law of the place in different ways (canon 13).

A Canadian visiting the U.S. on a day recognized in this episcopal conference as a day of obligation would not be bound to it. A U.S. Catholic visiting in Canada on the same day would not be bound to observe a day that was obligatory back in the U.S.

Dcn. John Cameron
Lansing