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Views from the Choir Loft

Holy Days of Obligation: Immaculate Conception

Andrew R. Motyka · December 3, 2014

HIS YEAR, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on Monday, December 8 (yes, it’s always on December 8, but last year it was on Monday, December 9 in the Ordinary Form. We’ll come back to that). One question that we get pretty often in the Office of Worship is, “is it a Holy Day of Obligation this year?”

The confusion is somewhat understandable. When most other days of obligation in the United States fall on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation is lifted. The faithful are encouraged to attend Mass on these days, but it is not obligatory.

Immaculate Conception, like Christmas, is a special case. This solemnity is the patronal feast of the United States of America, and so has an even greater importance in this country. Even when December 8 falls on a Saturday or a Monday, it is a Holy Day of Obligation. One is required to attend Mass on that day.

The next question that follows fairly often is whether or not someone could attend Mass on the evening of Sunday, December 7, and have it fulfill the obligation to attend on Immaculate Conception. Let’s set aside the question of “double dipping” your obligation (something that canonists disagree on, and I’m no canonist), and explain the basic question. According to Canon Law, your obligation to attend Mass is fulfilled “by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day. (Canon 1248.1)” Let’s break that apart a little bit, because there are a few points to be made here.

1. Your obligation can be fulfilled by any Catholic rite. You can attend a Maronite Catholic liturgy, an Anglican Ordinariate liturgy, or any other Catholic liturgy which is in communion with the Church.

2. Mass in the evening of the preceding day fulfills your obligation, just like attending a Mass of anticipation on a Saturday evening fulfills your Sunday obligation.

3. Note that the obligation is tied to the day, not to the particular feast. This may seem legalistic, but it is actually better for pastoral need. For example, last year’s Immaculate Conception was “bumped” to Monday, December 9, because the feast fell on the Second Sunday of Advent. That Sunday ranks higher in precedence to the Immaculate Conception, so the feast could not be celebrated that day. However, because the obligation is tied to the day (December 8), the transferred feast is not obligatory. What readings are heard, or what Mass is said, is not relevant to whether or not the faithful’s obligation has been fulfilled.

Putting all of this information together, we can say that one can fulfill his or her obligation to attend Mass on December 8 of this year by attending a Mass on the evening of Sunday, December 7. Since December 7 is the Second Sunday of Advent, however, the Mass celebrated on that day must be the Advent Sunday, not the Immaculate Conception. However, since obligation is tied to the day and not to the Mass celebrated, even this situation fulfills obligation. So, sidestepping the question of “double dipping” (let’s assume you attended Mass this Sunday morning, as well), the evening Mass “counts.”

Note that in cases where you genuinely are unable to make it to Mass because of uncontrollable circumstances that cannot be overcome, your obligation is lifted anyway.

Also, even if “double dipping” is legal, you might not be doing your soul any favors by aiming for the Minimum Daily Requirement of your faith. So get thee to Mass.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Holy Day Of Obligation United States Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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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President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“One must pray to God not only with theologically precise formulas, but also in a beautiful and dignified way. The Christian community must make an examination of conscience so that the beauty of music and song will return increasingly to the liturgy.”

— Pope Saint John Paul II (26 February 2003)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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