†The Immaculate Conception, December 8.

On this feast we honor the unique privilege by which the Blessed Virgin Mary was exempted from original sin. It is the first important feast of the ecclesiastical year. It is a holy day of obligation. It is also the patronal feast of the United States, which is especially consecrated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

†Christmas Day, December 25.

This, one of the most beautiful feasts of the year, is celebrated in remembrance of the Nativity of Our Lord. It is a holy day of obligation. On this day priests are allowed to say three Masses in memory of the triple birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ: a midnight Mass to commemorate His eternal generation as God in the bosom of the Father: a Mass at dawn, to honor His temporal birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Bethlehem: and a Mass at daytime, in memory of His spiritual birth, as our Redeemer, in the hearts of the faithful. It is only on Christmas and All Souls Day that priests are allowed to say three Masses.

For Christmas a crib is built in churches, schools, and many homes, to commemorate the crib at Bethlehem. Little children are specially encouraged to help build the crib. The crib was popularized by that great saint, Francis of Assisi.

The Holy Innocents, December 28.

The feast honors the children murdered by order of King Herod, as recorded in St. Matthew’s Gospel.

†The Circumcision, January 1.

On this day we honor the first shedding of blood by our Divine Lord for the salvation of our souls. It is a holy day of obligation. The feast was also instituted to implore the blessings of Almighty God on the new year. The rite of circumcision, a symbol of Baptism, was imposed by Moses on all male children, and was undergone the eighth day after their birth, to distinguish them from the Gentiles. For us Christians, Baptism took the place of circumcision. On the Feast of the Circumcision, the ceremony of the renewal of baptismal vows takes place.

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (The first Sundry after the Circumcision if falls on any day between January 2 and January 5. If not, the feast is celebrated on January 2.)

This feast is to give special honor to the Holy Name of Our Lord. Every time we pronounce the Name of Jesus, we should bow our heads.

The Holy Name Society was founded by Gregory X in 1274 to combat the growing evil of cursing, swearing, and irreverence. It is a society for men.

The Epiphany, January 6.

This feast celebrates the manifestation that Jesus Christ the Messias made to the nations of the world represented in the persons of the Magi. It also commemorates the Baptism of Our Lord by St. John the Baptist, and the first miracle at Cana, when Our Lord changed water into wine at the request of His Blessed Mother.

Feast of the Holy Family (Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany)

This feast was instituted in order to hold up as the model of Christian families the holy Family of Nazareth, composed of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Septuagesima Sunday.

Septuagesima Sunday, and the two following Sundays, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima, mean respectively seventieth, sixtieth and fiftieth, because they fall near the 70th, 60th, and 50th days before Easter. Quadragesima Sunday, near the fortieth day, is the first Sunday of Lent.

In the United States, the period in which Catholics may fulfill their Easter duty of Confession and Communion begins with the first Sunday of Lent, and lasts till the Feast of the Most Blessed Trinity, on the Sunday after Pentecost.

Octave for the Unity of the Church, January 18 to 25.

The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (commonly called Candlemas Day), February 2.

By undergoing the ceremony of purification after childbirth, imposed on all Jewish women, Our Lady, who needed no purification, gave an example of obedience and humility to the whole world. This day the Church celebrates the blessing of candles, which symbolize Christ the Light of the World, entering the Temple to be presented here to God His Father.

The day following Candlemas is the feast of St. Blase, patron for ailments of the throat. Then it is the practice to have throats given a special blessing by being touched between two crossed candles.

Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11.

This feast celebrates the apparition of the Immaculate Conception in the town of Lourdes, France.

Ash Wednesday.

This day opens the Lenten season. Catholics go to church to receive the ashes which the priest marks on their foreheads with the words: “Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.” The ashes are from the palms blessed the previous year. They symbolize penance.

Passion Sunday.

From noon of the day previous to Passion Sunday, the crucifix and the statues on the altar are wrapped in violet, as a sign of mourning. During Passion Week and Holy Week, the Church follows closely the last scenes of Our Lord’s life; on the last three days of Holy Week, she even reproduces, in a kind of sacred drama, the very acts of His Passion, death, and burial.

Our Lady of Sorrows (Friday in Passion Week).

This feast is instituted to commemorate the great sorrows of our Lady during the Passion of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Feast of St. Joseph, March 19.

This is celebrated in honor of the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin, in whose care were placed Our Lady and Jesus Himself.

Palm Sunday.

This is the first day of Holy Week. It commemorates the entrance of Our Lord for the last time into Jerusalem, when the multitude, bearing palm and live branches, went out to welcome Him, with cries “Hosanna!” Before the solemn Mass begins on this day, palms are blessed, in remembrance of that triumphal entrance of Our Lord. They are kept in the homes as a sign of blessing.

Holy Thursday.

This day especially commemorates the institution of the Blessed Sacrament by Our Lord at the Last Supper. On this day takes place the washing of feet in memory of that ceremony performed by Our Lord, Who washed the feet of His disciples just before the institution of the Holy Eucharist. There is a procession of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass, and a consecrated Host is placed on another altar, called the Repository, where It remains until the following day. On this day good Catholics devote an hour or two to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament thus solemnly exposed.

In the cathedrals the holy oils are consecrated by the Bishops on this day. These holy oils are used for administering the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, Extreme Unction, and Holy Orders, as well as for consecrating churches, altars, chalices, bells, etc.

Private Masses are forbidden on this day. At the only Mass in each church, there is a general communion in which the priests take part. After the Mass, the altar is stripped, in order to show that the Holy Sacrifice is interrupted until Holy Saturday.

On the night of Holy Thursday, an all-night vigil is kept in church before the Repository. Where there is more than one church in the community people go from one to another in the afternoon And evening of Holy Thursday, praying at each Repository.

Good Friday.

This is the only day in the whole year on which the Sacrifice of the Mass is not offered. The service is not a Mass in the proper sense of the word, because there is no Consecration. The officiating priest consumes the Host Which was consecrated the day before and reserved on the Repository.

On this day also takes place the adoration of the cross. The anthems and responses sung during the adoration of the cross are called “Improperia” or Reproaches (words addressed by Our Lord to the Jews). They are a striking and very dramatic feature of the Good Friday service. The unveiling of the cross is symbolic of Christ being stripped of His garments. The devotion of the Stations of the Cross is practiced today in all churches.

In a number of churches the sermon of the “Seven Words” is made: then it is usual to have the sermon last from noon till three o’clock, when the “Last Word” is spoken. This sermon is an attempt to portray the last hours of Our Lord on the Cross.

Holy Saturday.

On this day the Church blesses the new fire, the Paschal candle, the incense, and the baptismal font. At noon the season of Lent ends, and Easter time begins. The Regina Coeli instead of the Angelus is said until the eve of Trinity Sunday.

The interesting ceremonies taking place on Holy Saturday morning were originally performed on Saturday night, and ended at dawn on Easter morning. Hence their joyous character.

The triple candle symbolizes the Blessed Trinity. The paschal candle stands for Christ, rising from the dead. The five grains of incense represent His five wounds.

†Easter Sunday.

This feast, the greatest solemnity of the Christian year, the feast of feasts, is in honor of the Resurrection of Our Lord from the dead. The Mass is full of allusions to the Resurrection of Christ and to Baptism, which is a spiritual resurrection.

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon of the spring: it may occur any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, March 25.

This day commemorates the coming of the Angel Gabriel to Our Lady, announcing to her that she was to become the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Patronage of St. Joseph (Wednesday after the second Sunday after Easter).

This feast lays special stress on the office of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, a natural consequence of his position as Protector with regard to Our Lord and His Mother.

Rogation Days.

The three days before the Ascension are called Rogation Days. On these three days a procession is held during which the Litany of the Saints, psalms, and other supplications are sung, to appease the anger of God, and to draw down His blessings on the fruits of the earth. April 25 is also a Rogation day.

†The Ascension (forty days after Easter)

This feast celebrates Our Lord’s going up into Heaven forty days after His Resurrection. The extinguishing of the Paschal candle after the Gospel on Ascension Day symbolizes the departure of Our Lord from earth. It is a holyday of obligation.

Whitsunday, or Pentecost Sunday.

The chief object of this feast is the commemoration of the coming of the Holy Ghost on the assembled Apostles. It is one of the three chief feasts of the year, considered second only to Easter.

May, the Month of the Blessed Virgin.

In nearly all churches the month of May is celebrated with daily devotions, usually consisting of the recitation of the Rosary and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Often a sermon is given on the Blessed Virgin. Special indulgences are attached to these devotions.

At homes and in schools small altars are built in honor of the Blessed Mother; flowers are offered to her. During the month of May devout Catholics hear Mass daily.

The Finding of the Cross, May 3.

This day commemorates the finding. of the True Cross of Christ by the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, in a pit near Calvary in the year 326. One of the oldest feasts of the Church, it is known to have been celebrated in the fourth century. Originally celebrated on September 14, in the 8th century the feast of the Finding was transferred to May 3, and September 14 was set apart for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

Trinity Sunday (Sunday following Pentecost Sunday).

This feast specially honors the Most Holy Trinity.

Corpus Christi (Thursday after Trinity Sunday).

This feast is consecrated to the Holy Eucharist. It was established in order to celebrate most solemnly and with all pomp the institution of the Most Blessed Sacrament, since it is not possible to do so on Holy Thursday on account of the other Holy Week celebrations. On this day or on the following Sunday a great procession with the Blessed Sacrament is held.

 Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, (Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi).

On this feast the Church honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus and makes reparation for the poor way men repay His great love. For this purpose, the prayer of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is ordered to be said. The Feast of the Eucharistic Heart is celebrated the day before.

Birthday of St. John the Baptist, June 24.

This feast is in honor of Our Lord’s Precursor.

Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, June 29.

This feast is in honor of the two great Apostles especially commemorating St. Peter, Christ’s Vicar on earth, the first Pope of God’s Church.

The Most Precious Blood, July 1.

In honor of the Holy Blood of Our Lord, shed in His circumcision, agony, passion, and crucifixion, this feast is celebrated.

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, July 2.

This feast is to commemorate the visit made by Our Lady to her cousin Elizabeth, before the birth of St. John the Baptist. It. recalls the charity of Our Lady.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, July I6.

All good Catholics should wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, enriched with many indulgences.

The Transfiguration, August 6.

This feast commemorates the day when Our Lord took Peter, James, and John up to a mountain apart, and there was transfigured before them, His face shining as the sun, and His garments becoming white as snow.

†The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15.

On this feast is commemorated what happened after the death of God’s holy Mother: her body and soul were taken up into Heaven, where she was crowned by her Divine Son Queen of all Angels and Saints. It is a holyday of obligation.

In the earliest days, the Church commemorated only the deaths of the martyrs, calling this their birthdays, as then they are born to heaven. Then an appeal came for the celebration of feasts in honor of Saints who were not martyred. Naturally, Mary the Mother of God here took first place. By the sixth century such a feast in honor of Mary on August 15 was observed throughout the universal Church.

Nativity of Our Lady, September 8.

This feast honors the birth of our Mother the Blessed Virgin.

Among all the Saints, John the Baptist is the only one who shares with Mary the honor of having a birthday feast celebrated by the Church. This is because John was freed from original sin before his birth, as Mary was free from the moment of her conception.

The Most Holy Name of Mary, September 12.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14.

The Emperor Constantine had two churches built on Calvary, and in one the relic of the True Cross was kept. Later, the king of Persia, Chosroes, carried away the relic to Persia; but the Greek emperor Heraclius waged war, defeated Chosroes, and returned the True Cross to the basilica on Calvary, in the year 629. From the eleventh to the fourteenth century, it was the thought of the True Cross that inspired the Crusaders in their battles for the Holy Places of Palestine.

The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 15.

This is the second of the feasts celebrated to honor the sorrows of Our Blessed Mother, the first feast being on the Friday of Passion Week. The seven sorrows thus honored are: Simeon’s prophecy (Luke 2:15), the flight into Egypt, the three days’ loss of the Child Jesus (Luke 2:42-46), the way to Calvary, the Crucifixion, the taking down of Our Lord’s Body from the cross, and the burial of Our Blessed Lord.

Feast of the Guardian Angels, October 2.

Feast of the Most Holy Rosary, October 7.

The feast of the Holy Rosary recalls the best prayer to honor our heavenly Mother. It was on the 7th of October 1571 that the Christians defeated the Turks at Lepanto, gaining the victory through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. All Catholics are recommended to pray daily at least five decades of the Holy Rosary. The least is often celebrated on the first Sunday of October.

St. Dominic is said to have received the Rosary from Mary as a powerful weapon in his contest with the Albigensian heretics. Already in the twelfth century a formula similar to the rosary had been in use; the Dominicans promoted widespread recourse to this devotion in the fifteenth century.

Mission Sunday. (Sunday before the last in October).

The Sunday before the last of October is set apart in a special manner for the missions. On this day the sermons and the instructions should be about the work that is being done by the missionaries for the spread of the Catholic faith; a collection is taken up for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith. All Catholics are urged to become members of that Society and thus help in that work so dear to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord.

Feast of Christ the King (Last Sunday in October).

On this day the Church invites all her children to join in offering public and solemn homage to Jesus Christ, our King, acknowledging His spiritual kingship over the Church, and proclaiming the rights and benefits of His reign over families and nations. Christ is our King not only by reason of His divine nature, but by reason of His human nature as well, since He was appointed King by His heavenly Father and redeemed mankind by His death on the Cross.

What a beautiful and good world we should have, did all nations and people obey Christ as King! Let us remember that He promised to come some day in the clouds of heaven, as King, in great power and majesty.

†Feast of All Saints, November 1.

On this day the Church honors all the Angels and Saints in heaven. It is a holyday of obligation.

This day is a great family feast. It had its origin in the year 61o, when Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon of Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs. It is in special commemoration of the millions of Saints in heaven who have not been officially canonized by the Church, and thus have no special commemoration during the year.

All Souls’ Day, November 2.

This day commemorates all the holy souls in Purgatory. It is a day for pious remembrance of the dead. and for offering of Masses and prayers for them. On this day as on Christmas, priests are allowed to say three Masses, for the souls of the departed, that they may be free from Purgatory;

From noon of All Saints’ Day till midnight of the next day (All Souls’ Day), all those who have confessed and received Holy Communion on either of the two days or within the following octave may gain the toties quoties indulgence: a plenary indulgence applicable to the souls in Purgatory every time they visit a church or public chapel, and pray six Our Fathers, six Hail Marys, and six Glorias for the intention of the Holy Father. It is to be noted here that those who are accustomed to go to confession at least twice a month, or to communicate daily in the state of grace and with an upright and holy intention, and even though they do not go to communion once or twice during the week, may without confession gain all the indulgences for which confession is prescribed as a necessary condition. If the toties quoties indulgence is not gained on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, it may be gained on the Sunday following. When November 2 falls on a Sunday, All Souls Day is celebrated on the Monday following November 3.