Holy Days of Obligation
January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Please Note: For this particular Holy Day, the Vigil is at 7:00PM,
On the Holy Day, Masses are at 9:00 & 10:30AM. There is no Evening Mass.
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, it is a Holy Day Without Obligation, the day remains a solemnity in the Church’s calendar. It is to be observed as such with the celebration of the Eucharist and suitable festivity; only the obligation to attend Mass is dropped on that particular occasion.

There are several reasons why the bishops chose to remove the obligation to attend Mass on these holy days when they fall on a Monday or Saturday. Because of the popularity of vigil or anticipated masses, there is often widespread confusion about which Mass satisfies which obligation. Furthermore, it is difficult to prepare and celebrate two major feasts back-to-back. In areas where there is a limited number of clergy the logistics of scheduling become even more of a problem. Finally, it was noted that common practice was to attend either the Sunday celebration or the holy day Mass, but not both.