Holy Days of Obligation

Holy Days of Obligation
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January 1
The Solemnity of
Mary

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

Ascension of
Christ
40 Days After
Easter

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

August 15
The Assumption
of Mary

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, 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.

November 1
All Saints Day

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.

December 8
The Immaculate
Conception

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.

December 25
The Nativity

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.

C omments Welcomed

2010 Calendar of Important Holy Days

Mary, Mother of God (Friday, January 1, 2010) Holy Day of Obligation
Ash Wednesday (Wednesday, February 17, 2010)
Palm Sunday (Sunday, March 28, 2010)
Holy Thursday (Thursday, April 1, 2010)
Good Friday (Friday, April 2, 2010)
Holy Saturday (Saturday, April 3, 2010)
Easter Sunday (Sunday, April 4, 2010)
Divine Mercy Sunday (Sunday, April 11, 2010)
Ascension (Thursday, May 13, 2010) Holy Day of Obligation
(transferred to Sunday, May 16, 2010 in most dioceses of the
United States)
Pentecost Sunday (Sunday, May 23, 2010)
Trinity Sunday (Sunday, May 30, 2010)
Corpus Christi (Thursday, June 3, 2010; transferred to Sunday,
June 6, 2010)
Assumption of Mary (Sunday, August 15, 2010) Holy Day of
Obligation
All Saints Day (Monday, November 1, 2010) Holy Day of Obligation
(abrogated because it falls on a Monday)
First Sunday of Advent (Sunday, November 28, 2010) - Complete
Advent schedule
Immaculate Conception (Wednesday, December 8, 2010) - Holy
Day of Obligation
Christmas (Saturday, December 25, 2010) Holy Day of Obligation