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Views from the Choir Loft

Juggling Holy Days of Obligation

Andrew R. Motyka · November 6, 2013

OLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION are a relatively contentious subject among liturgical geeks like me. Questions like: Which days get precedence? Are/Should the obligation be lifted when the day falls on Saturday? Can you “double dip” on obligations (please don’t go down this rabbit hole)? The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary hits many of these questions.

In the United States, the obligation of several of our holy days is abrogated (made non-obligatory) when the feast falls on Saturday or Monday. While there is plenty of legitimate debate over whether this should be the case, the bishops nonetheless have the authority to lift this obligation. Next year (2014), for example, All Saints will fall on a Saturday, and the obligation to attend Mass will be lifted.

For that principle, though, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is the exception. Even when December 8 falls on a Saturday or Monday, it retains its obligatory status because Mary of the Immaculate Conception is the patron saint of the United States. She holds a special devotion in this country and so is celebrated on any day.

When Immaculate Conception falls on a Sunday, however (like this year), the celebration is shifted. “Wait, Andy,” I can hear you say, “I thought that in your previous, handsome, brilliantly insightful post that you showed that Solemnities take precedence over Sunday celebrations.” Of course they do, my fellow calendar enthusiast, when that Sunday is in Ordinary Time or in the Christmas Season. However, according to the General Norms on the Roman Calendar (#5):

Because of its special importance, the celebration of Sunday gives way only to Solemnities and Feasts of the Lord; indeed, the Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter have precedence over all Feasts of the Lord and over all Solemnities. In fact, Solemnities occurring on these Sundays are transferred to the following Monday unless they occur on Palm Sunday or on Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection. (emphasis mine)

Sundays of Advent have precedence over all Feasts of the Lord and Solemnities and should be transferred to the following Monday. Therefore, this year we celebrate Immaculate Conception on Monday, December 9, since Sunday, December 8 is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. So, you are obligated to attend Mass on both days, right? Not so fast. According to this past February’s newletter from the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship:

The obligation of the faithful to attend Mass remains attached to the day itself (December 8), however, and so it does not transfer with the liturgical observance.

This year, the obligation to attend Mass on Immaculate Conception is lifted. I strongly encourage you to attend anyway, of course, since this feast should hold a special place in our devotions as Christians in general and Americans in particular.

Tune in next time for some more calendar geekery.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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Andrew R. Motyka

About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Can You Spare 33 Seconds?

Here’s an audio excerpt (33 seconds) of a setting for Kyrie VIII which was recorded live last Sunday at our parish in Los Angeles. The setting (“Missa de Angelis”) is by composer Richard Rice, and you can download the free PDF if you click here and scroll to the bottom. I think Richard’s composition is marvelous. I missed a few notes on the organ, but I’ll get them right next time.

—Jeff Ostrowski
5 April 2021 • When Girls Sing

Covid restrictions here in California are still extremely severe—switching “two weeks to flatten the curve” into “two years to flatten the curve.” Since 2020, we’ve had police breaking into our church to check if everyone is wearing a mask…even when only 5-6 people are present! But we were allowed to have a small percentage of our singers back on Easter Sunday, and here is their live recording of the ancient Catholic hymn for Eastertide: Ad Cenam Agni Providi. The girls were so very excited to sing again—you can hear it in their voices!

—Jeff Ostrowski
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“E.S.” in North Dakota writes: “I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all the hard work you have put—and continue to put—into your wonderful website. In the past two years, my parish has moved from a little house basement into a brand new church and gone from a few families receiving Low Masses twice a month to several families (and many individuals) receiving Mass every Sunday, two Saturdays a month, and every Holy Day. Our priest has been incorporating more and more High Masses and various ceremonies into our lives, which has made my job as a huge newbie choir master very trying and complicated. CCWatershed has been an invaluable resource in helping me get on my feet and know what to do!!! Thank you more than I can express! May God bless you abundantly and assist you in your work and daily lives!”

—Jeff Ostrowski

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