JUST GOT OFF the telephone with someone who works closely with the USSCB’s “Canonical Affairs Committee” as well as the USCCB’s “Committee on Divine Worship.” Over the telephone, he confirmed something that’s quite surprising—at least to me. A change was made by the USCCB a few days ago. This year, the feast of the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION falls on a Sunday. Normally, that feast would be “bumped” or “moved” or “transferred” to the next day (9 December) and the obligation to assist at Mass and refrain from unnecessary servile work would not be transferred. But this has been changed. The USCCB website currently has information that—as of a few days ago—has been superseded:
* PDF Download • PREVIOUS RULING (superseded in October 2024)
Surprising Modification • A few days ago—and nobody seems quite certain of the precise day—the USCCB made a change. A notice has appeared on a special website only accessible by the bishops. This alteration by the USCCB seems to have been the result of an inquiry sent by Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois. Below is what the Vatican wrote:
* PDF Download • Vatican Letter to Bishop Paprocki (Springfield, IL)
The Results • Because of this modification, the obligation to assist at Mass and refrain from unnecessary servile work will be transferred in 2024—along with the feast of the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION—to Monday, 9 December 2024. If memory serves, bishops have the authority to dispense people from holy days of obligation. Therefore, I urge readers to investigate the situation in their own dioceses.
(1 of 2) Random Thoughts • I doubt anyone’s interested in my opinion about these matters. However, it’s peculiar to see Bishop Paprocki writing to the Vatican vis-à-vis USA holy days of obligation. After all, the bishops of each country—not Vatican bureaucrats—decide which holy days of obligation are to be observed in their territories. For example, the feast of the EPIPHANY (a cardinal feast) is a holy day of obligation in many countries, but I don’t believe it’s ever been a holy day of obligation in the United States.
(2 of 2) Random Thoughts • According to the liturgical calendar of 1962, the feast of the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION “replaces” or “supplants” or “annihilates” the 2nd Sunday of Advent when it falls on a Sunday. But those who attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form are bound by the current Code of Canon Law—not some previous code of Canon Law. That means those who attend EF Masses are obligated to assist at Mass and refrain from unnecessary servile work on 9 December 2024, which is “Monday in the 2nd Week of Advent” according to the 1962 calendar. Most priests who celebrate Mass according to the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM will probably not celebrate the feast of the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION on 9 December, although (in my humble opinion) that would make the most sense. I suppose somebody could say: “But that’s not traditional, Jeff, and we adhere to the tradition.” The problem is, I could name tons of instances in which TLM priests do not adhere to “tradition.” For example, offering Mass in the evening is not traditional. Neither is it “traditional” to distribute Holy Communion to the congregation during Solemn Mass, which we have discussed many times. But I digress…
Mind Blown! • For what it’s worth, the USCCB expert told me over the telephone that this modification—especially being made at such a late date—literally blew his mind. There’s already great confusion regarding holy days of obligation, especially with the whole “MONDAY-SATURDAY” business. Some Catholics find it bizarre that the feast of the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION is not important enough to supplant a Sunday in Advent (as it does in the EF), yet it is important enough for its obligation to be “transferred.”
Again, I urge each reader
to research the situation
regarding 9 December 2024
in your particular territory.
