Immaculate Conception - is it a Holy Day of Obligation in 2013?
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,701
    Transferred to Monday.

    Immaculate Conception is always a Holy Day, even when celebrated on Saturday or Monday.

    But it's not on Dec. 8th.

    Which might/does lift that?

    Archdiocese of Indy says no Obligation: http://www.archindy.org/worship/holydays.html
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    Because it has been moved off of its normal day, it is not a day of obligation this year.

    P.S. I walked 10 steps next door to ask the Director of Worship in Indy. :)

    He went on to describe that this is the only situation in which Immaculate Conception is not a day of obligation. If it (December 8) naturally falls on a Saturday or Monday, it is still obligatory; because it has been displaced by an Advent Sunday, it is not obligatory.

    I'd still go 'cuz Mary's cool.
    Thanked by 1marajoy
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,701
    What a strange thing...

    So it's a very important feast - so important that the obligation isn't dropped if it's celebrated on a Saturday or Monday.

    Unless that Monday isn't December 8th. Then it is less important.
    Thanked by 1marajoy
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,997
    I was told that Sunday takes precedence, so no IC this year. Maybe I can get a few friends together and do our own celebration.
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    Seasonal (non-Ordinary Time) Sundays always take precedence; in order of precedence, they fall behind only Easter Sunday in degree of importance.

    Charles, there IS an IC this year; it just gets bumped to Monday.
    Thanked by 2Gavin CharlesW
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,701
    Can anyone explain the logic of why it isn't a Holy Day? Why does it being displaced by the Sunday take away the obligation if the obligation would be there if it naturally fell on a Monday?
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Can anyone explain the logic of why it isn't a Holy Day?


    Explain the what? In all honesty, I don't think that that figured into the equation here.

    My thinking would be that the transference to the following Monday (Dec. 9th) is for the "commemoration of the Holy Day", you already went to Mass on December 8th (the day of precept) on Sunday. Perhaps this problem (of transferring or not Holy Days) arose when 'they' abolished the commemorations of saints on certain days (e.g. Sunday Mass with a commemoration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception)?

    Since Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception is the Patroness of our country we should honor her liturgically, but the day of precept is Dec. 8th, not the following day. (I have a head-ache now...)
    Thanked by 3Gavin Andrew Motyka marajoy
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    @Salieri: Immaculate Conception was a Double First Class Feast since 1879 and would have taken precedence over the second Sunday of Advent, which was a Major Sunday of the Second Class.

    And in the EF the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (being a I class feast) takes precedence over the Sunday (being of I class and thus observed by a privileged commemoration).

    The problem of transferred holydays of obligation is actually much older; Annunciation for example can fall in Holy Week and ist then transferred after Low Sunday. In regions where Annunciation was a holy day of obligation, a votive Mass of the transferred solemnity was permitted (even low Masses on Holy Thursday in such a number as to provide enough opportunity for the laity to observe the holy day). Only if it fell on Good Friday or Holy Saturday the obligation wandered past Low Sunday together with the feast.
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,142
    See the bottom of page 6:

    http://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/newsletter/upload/newsletter-2013-02.pdf

    Thanked by 2chonak marajoy
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Protasius: Thanks for the clarification regarding the EF. Much, much simpler than the OF
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