This week’s bulletin is a little different from others. This is because I thought it would be helpful to shed light on the Church’s observance of what we call “holy days.” 2024’s calendar presented some confusion on this topic, so I hope this casts light on the matter. The following paragraphs are quoted from the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Saginaw.
What prompts my spending time on this topic is motivated by my receiving a call from a Saginaw laywoman who said that her parish priest announced that it was a mortal sin to miss Mass on a Holy Day. However, she then spoke with a friend out-of-state who said they were not “obligated” to attend Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
The Archdiocese of Washington: Holy Days of Obligation are feasts of importance in our Church, but we may sometimes get bogged down in the understanding of obligation. When we turn our attention to the celebratory nature of Holy Days, we see every Holy Day is an invitation, an opportunity to come together in the Eucharistic Celebration to consider a particular aspect of the mystery of our salvation.
Six holy days are observed annually in the U.S. Catholic Church. Three of them focus on the Blessed Virgin Mary – marking the Immaculate Conception, celebrating her as the Mother of God, and marking her Assumption into heaven. These three together invite us to celebrate the entirely unique holiness of our Blessed Mother.
Typically, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8. This year, December 8 is the Second Sunday of Advent. The Church moves a solemnity that falls on Sundays in Advent out of deference for our preparation to welcome the Lord on Christmas. So the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is transferred to Monday, December 9.
There has been some confusion this year about the observance of this Holy Day and the obligation to attend Mass. But guidance from the Vatican was only recently shared and many parish calendars were already set for the year.
Therefore, Cardinal Wilton Gregory has granted that all Catholics of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington are dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, as it is observed in 2024 on Monday, December 9. While this dispensation is available, the faithful are encouraged to take advantage of the graces of the holy day, whether by attending Mass or by engaging in other acts of prayer, charity, and Christian witness. N.B., Some dioceses have NOT granted a dispensation from attending Mass and some have. Bishops reserve the right to make this decision.
The Diocese of Saginaw: In 2024, December 8 is the Second Sunday of Advent, so the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is transferred to Monday, December 9. Previously, when the DATE was transferred the obligation was abrogated. That will no longer be true.
FROM THE USCCB: Earlier this year, Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, Chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, wrote to the Holy See seeking clarification about the obligation to attend Mass when a holy day of obligation in Advent, Lent, or Easter falls on Sunday and the Solemnity is transferred to Monday. In a memo to the U.S. bishops dated Thursday, October 10, Bishop Paprocki communicated the Dicastery for Legislative Text’s response: “the feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.” In light of this new directive, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Monday, December 9, 2024 is to be observed as a holy day of obligation.
FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING DECEMBER 8 & 9, 2024
Q. Is Monday, December 9, 2024, a holy day of obligation?
A. As was previously noted in the October 15 “FDLC Memo,” the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is to be celebrated as a holy day of obligation, even when the DATE is transferred to Monday, December 9. This was first conveyed in a memo to the U.S. bishops dated Thursday, October 10, by Bishop Paprocki. He communicated the ruling he had received from the Dicastery for Legislative Texts: “The feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.”
Q. What Mass texts should we use on Sunday evening, December 8?
A. All Masses on the Second Sunday of Advent (up to midnight on Sunday) will use Mass texts for the Second Sunday of Advent. This liturgical day “outranks” the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on the “Table of Liturgical Days According to Their Order of Precedence” (See Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar, no. 59). Sundays of Advent have a rank of two, Solemnities of the Lord, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saints have a rank of three.
Q. How does this ruling affect the other holy days that were impacted by the “Monday or Saturday” ruling of the USCCB in 1993?
A. In 1993, the USCCB ruled that when January 1, August 15, and November 1 fell on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass was abrogated. This ruling did not apply to other solemnities, including Christmas and the Immaculate Conception (because the latter is the patronal feast of the United States). These three solemnities – Mary, Mother of God, the Assumption, and All Saints — will NOT be impacted by the recent ruling since there is no danger that their DATE will have to be transferred because there is no potential for them conflicting with a liturgical day of higher rank in their respective seasons.
The USA’s complementary norm for canon 1246, §2 remains in force: “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.”