Catholic Holy Days June - December

Western Christian liturgical seasons and important days of worship during "Ordinary Time"

Aug 17, 2006

For Western Christians, it is now "Ordinary Time," the liturgically quiet time between the Easter and Christmas Seasons. But there are some important celebrations.

Christian Ordinary Time, from Pentecost Monday (5 June 2006) to the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent (2 December 2006), is a calm season punctuated by some special celebrations.

All Western Christian liturgical calendars are based on the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. The year consists of six liturgical seasons:

Advent
Christmas
Ordinary Time (Time after Epiphany)
Lent
Easter
the resumption of Ordinary Time (Time after Pentecost).

The year is dotted by important days of worship. In the Catholic Church, these are, in diminishing order of importance:

10 "Holy Days of Obligation", when one is obligated to go to Mass and abstain from work, just like on Sundays. Only the Vatican observes all 10.
17 "Solemnities", which observe an event in the life of Jesus, Mary and the Saints.
"Feasts", "Memorials" and "Optional Memorials".

These are the major celebrations during this Ordinary Time (for Feasts, Memorials and Optional Memorials in August 2006, see Almanac for Holidays and Festivals in August 2006):

Sunday, 11 June 2006 is Trinity Sunday (a Solemnity).
Sunday, 18 June 2006 is the Solemnity of The Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi, commemorating the institution of the Holy Eucharist.
Friday, 23 June 2006, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrates Christ's divine and human love for all his children symbolized in his physical heart.
Saturday, 24 June 2006 is the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist.
29 June, 2006 is the Solemnity of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
Sunday, 6 August 2006, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, commemorates the manifestation to Peter, James and John of the divine glory of Jesus on Mount Tabor before the eyes of the disciples.
Tuesday, 15 August 2006 is a Holy Day of Obligation, celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. In Ghent, in Flanders, Belgium, this day is known as "Vive Marie" and is a Mother's Day of sorts.
Wednesday, 1 November 2006, the Solemnity of All Saints' or All Hallows', is a time to honor all known and unknown Saints.
On Thursday, 2 November 2006, All Souls Day, the faithful are to pray for the souls of the departed, because they are not yet fully cleansed of sin (until Judgment Day).
Sunday, 26 November 2006, the Solemnity of Christ the King, was established in 1925 to counteract secularism and atheism in modern society.
On 3 December, the Season of Advent begins, bringing Ordinary Time to a close.

The copyright of the article Catholic Holy Days June - December in Catholic Practices is owned by Katrien Vander Straeten. Permission to republish Catholic Holy Days June - December in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.