Holy Days of Obligation
In 2013, the following are the Holy Days of Obligation for all Catholics:
In most areas of the country, the celebration of the Ascension has been transferred to the following Sunday, so there is no obligation in those dioceses to attend Mass on that Thursday.
On three of the feasts -- Mary, Mother of God; Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and All Saints Day -- when the feast day occurs on a Saturday or a Monday, you get "two for one" That is, the obligation to attend the feast day Mass is lifted and attendance at a weekend Mass covers you both for the feast and for Sunday.
But during two feasts, Catholics are still obliged to go to Mass, no matter what day they occur. Those feasts are Birth of Our Lord Jesus (Christmas because of its centrality as the birthday of our Lord and Savior) and the Immaculate Conception (in part, at least because it is the patronal feast of the United States). For these feasts, you cannot get double credit by attending one Mass.
The definition of Holy Days of Obligation is
"Holy days of obligation are feast days on which Catholics are required to attend Mass and to avoid (to the extent that they are able) servile work. "
-- taken in part from Father Kenneth Doyle's Question and Answer column from the Catholic Times January 13, 2013
- Mary, Mother of God - Tuesday, January 1
- Ascension of Jesus Christ - Thursday, May 9 in some Dioceses in the United States; in the Diocese of Columbus, it is on Sunday, May 12
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Thursday, August 15
- All Saints Day - Friday, November 1
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Sunday, December 8
- Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas Day) - Wednesday, December 25
In most areas of the country, the celebration of the Ascension has been transferred to the following Sunday, so there is no obligation in those dioceses to attend Mass on that Thursday.
On three of the feasts -- Mary, Mother of God; Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and All Saints Day -- when the feast day occurs on a Saturday or a Monday, you get "two for one" That is, the obligation to attend the feast day Mass is lifted and attendance at a weekend Mass covers you both for the feast and for Sunday.
But during two feasts, Catholics are still obliged to go to Mass, no matter what day they occur. Those feasts are Birth of Our Lord Jesus (Christmas because of its centrality as the birthday of our Lord and Savior) and the Immaculate Conception (in part, at least because it is the patronal feast of the United States). For these feasts, you cannot get double credit by attending one Mass.
The definition of Holy Days of Obligation is
"Holy days of obligation are feast days on which Catholics are required to attend Mass and to avoid (to the extent that they are able) servile work. "
-- taken in part from Father Kenneth Doyle's Question and Answer column from the Catholic Times January 13, 2013