Holy Day of Obligation

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In the Roman Catholic Church, Holy Days of Obligation or Holidays of Obligation, less commonly called Feasts of Precept, are the days on which the faithful are required to participate in the Mass and abstain from such work or business that would inhibit the worship to be given to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, or the due relaxation of mind and body" (canon 1247 of the Code of Canon Law).

The holidays of obligation for Latin Rite Catholics are indicated in canon 1246:[link]

§1. Sunday, on which by apostolic tradition the paschal mystery is celebrated, must be observed in the universal Church as the primordial holy day of obligation. The following days must also be observed:

• The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas) — December 25
• The Epiphany — January 6
• The Ascension — Thursday of the sixth week of Easter
• The Body and Blood of Christ — Thursday after Trinity Sunday
• Holy Mary the Mother of God — January 1
• Her Immaculate Conception — December 8
• Her Assumption — August 15
• Saint Joseph — March 19
• Saint Peter and Saint Paul the Apostles — June 29
• All Saints — November 1

§2. With the prior approval of the Apostolic See, however, the conference of bishops can suppress some of the holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday.

Observance by country

In Vatican City, but not in the rest of the Diocese of Rome, Sundays and all ten days listed in canon 1246 are observed as holy days of obligation. This is probably not the case in any other country. In general, the bishops' conferences have in almost all cases, as authorized by the same canon, reduced the number of the holy days of obligation, other than Sunday, to much fewer than ten.

Three of the ten feast days listed above are automatically transferred to a Sunday, if in a given country they are not holy days of obligation:

• The Epiphany is transferred to the Sunday that falls between 2 and 8 January;
• The Ascension of Our Lord is transferred to the following Sunday;
• The Body and Blood of Christ is transferred to the following Sunday.

If they are thus assigned to a Sunday, they are accordingly not included in the following national lists of holy days of obligation.

• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Christmas

• The Ascension of Our Lord
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• All Saints Day
• Christmas

• St. Mary, the Mother of God (1 January)
• Christmas

• The Epiphany
• The Ascension of Our Lord
• The Body and Blood of Christ
• St. Peter & Paul
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• All Saints Day
• Christmas

• St. Mary, the Mother of God (1 January)
• The Epiphany
• The Ascension of Our Lord
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

• The Epiphany
• St. Patrick's Day
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• All Saints Day
• The Immaculate Conception
• Christmas

• The Ascension of Our Lord
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• All Saints Day
• Christmas

• The Ascension of Our Lord
• Christmas

• St. Mary, the Mother of God
• Epiphany
• The Body and Blood of Christ
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• All Saints' Day
• Christmas

• St. Mary, the Mother of God
• The Ascension of Our Lord (but observed on the following Sunday in many dioceses)
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• All Saints' Day
• The Immaculate Conception
• The Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas)

However, whenever January 1 (the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), August 15 (the solemnity of the Assumption), or November 1 (the solemnity of All Saints) falls on a Saturday or Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.

See also

• Liturgical year
• Moveable feast
• Ash Wednesday

External links

• [Code of Canon Law in English]

 

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