January 1
The Solemnity of
Mary
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This feast, closely connected to the feast of Christmas, is the most
important and oldest of the major feasts of Mary. Mary's Divine
Maternity became a universal feast day in 1931. Liturgical reform
initiated by Vatican II placed it on January 1 in 1969.
"May Mary help us discover the face of Jesus, Prince of Peace. May
she support and accompany us in this new year; may she obtain for
us and for the whole world the desired gift of peace! So be it! "
Pope John Paul II 01/01/2003
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Ascension of
Christ
40 Days After
Easter
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The feast is celebrated on the 40th day after Easter Sunday and
commemorates the elevation of Jesus into heaven by his own
power in the presence of his disciples. It is narrated in Mark 16:19,
Luke 24:51, and in the 1st Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.
"On the fortieth day after the resurrection, He ascended into
heaven with His body, in which He had risen, and His soul, and took
His seat at the right hand of the Father, then on the tenth day He
sent the Holy Spirit." Profession of Faith by Pope St. Leo IX, 1053
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August 15
The Assumption
of Mary
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On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be
a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a
divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the
ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life,
was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” The pope
proclaimed this dogma only after a broad consultation of bishops,
theologians and laity. There were few dissenting voices. What the
pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the
Catholic Church.. In this pronouncement, Pope Pius was simply
stating dogmatically what the Church, East and West, had believed
devotionally for many years in the principal feast of Mary.
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All Saints' Day was originally a commemoration of the martyrs of
the ancient church, the men, women, and children who were
persecuted and killed for their faith in Christ. It has since become a
festival on which the church remembers all who have died in the
faith, both those of the distant past and those of more recent times.
While we have knowledge of many saints and we honor them on
specific days, there are many unknown or unsung saints of the
Lord. On All Saints Day, we The Feast of All Saints is a holy day of
the Church honoring all celebrate all the saints of the Lord and ask
for their prayers and intercessions. The whole concept of All
Saints Day is tied in with the concept of the Communion of Saints.
This is the belief that all of God's people are connected in a
communion.
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December 8
The Immaculate
Conception
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The Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is the
belief that God preserved Mary from the moment of her birth from
any inclination to sin, the inheritance of original sin passed on to all
mankind from Adam and Eve.
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The feast celebrates Jesus' Birth and the incarnation of the Son of
known as the Feast of the Nativity, literally means, 'Christ the
Christmas season and currently extends from the first Vespers of
Christmas Eve until the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.Christmas
Eve until the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.
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