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Catholic Church liturgical year

The Catholic Church sets aside certain days and seasons of each year to recall and celebrate various events in the life of Christ. In its Roman Rite the liturgical year begins with Advent, the time of preparation for both the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and his expected second coming at the end of time. This season lasts until 24 December (Christmas Eve). Christmastide follows, beginning with First Vespers of Christmas on the evening of 24 December and ending with the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. Lent is the period of purification and penance which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Maundy Thursday. The Maundy Thursday evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum which includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. These days recall Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, death on the cross, burial and resurrection. The seven-week liturgical season of Easter immediately follows the Triduum, climaxing at Pentecost. This last feast recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ disciples after the Ascension of Jesus. The rest of the liturgical year is commonly known as Ordinary Time.[1]

There are many forms of liturgy in the Catholic Church. Even putting aside the many Eastern rites in use, the Latin liturgical rites alone include the Ambrosian Rite, the Mozarabic Rite, and the Cistercian Rite, as well as other forms that have been largely abandoned in favour of adopting the Roman Rite. Of this rite, what is now the “ordinary” or, to use a word employed in the Letter of Pope Benedict XVI accompanying the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, the “normal” form is that which developed from the Second Vatican Council to the present day, while the form in force in 1962 is authorized as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite without restriction in private celebrations and under certain conditions in public celebrations. The liturgical calendar in that form of the Roman Rite (see General Roman Calendar of 1962) differs in some respects from that of the present ordinary form, as will be noted below, and also from the earlier General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII, the still earlier General Roman Calendar of 1954 and the original Tridentine Calendar. These articles can be consulted with regard to the Roman-Rite liturgical year before 1962.

Advent

Main article: Advent

From the Latin adventus, “arrival” or “coming”, the first season of the liturgical year begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. Traditionally observed as a “fast”, its purpose focuses on preparation for the coming of Christ. Although often conceived as awaiting the coming of the Christ-child at Christmas, the modern Lectionary points the season more toward eschatological themes—awaiting the final coming of Christ, when “the wolf shall live with the lamb” (Isaiah 11:6) and when God will have “brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly” (The Magnificat, Luke 1:52)—particularly in the earlier half of the season. This period of waiting is often marked by the Advent Wreath, a garland of evergreens with four candles. Although the main symbolism of the advent wreath is simply marking the progression of time, many churches attach themes to each candle, most often ‘hope’, ‘faith’, ‘joy’, and ‘love’.

Color: Violet, but on the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, Rose may be used instead.

During this season, the Roman Catholic Church typically omits the “Gloria in Excelsis” during Mass, but retains it for the Mass celebrating a feast. The word “Alleluia” is not banned, as in Lent, but the 1962 form of the Roman Rite a Gradual is used instead of an Alleluia and verse, except on Sunday.

Christmas

Main article: Christmastide

The Christmas season immediately follows Advent. The traditional Twelve Days of Christmas begin with Christmas Eve on the evening of December 24 and continue until the feast of Epiphany. The actual Christmas season continues until the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, which in the present form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on the Sunday after 6 January. In the 1962 form, this feast is celebrated on 13 January, unless 13 January is a Sunday, in which case the feast of the Holy Family is celebrated instead.[2] Until the suppression of the Octave of the Epiphany in the 1960 reforms, 13 January was the Octave day of the Epiphany, providing the date for the end of the season.

Color: White or Gold.

Ordinary Time or Time after Epiphany

Main article: Ordinary Time

“Ordinary” comes from the same root as our word “ordinal”, and in this sense means “the counted weeks”. In the Roman Catholic Church and in some Protestant traditions, these are the common weeks which do not belong to a proper season. In Latin, these seasons are called the weeks per annum, or “through the year”.

In the current form of the Roman Rite adopted following the Second Vatican Council, Ordinary Time consists of 33 or 34 Sundays and is divided into two sections. The first portion extends from the day following the Feast of the Baptism of Christ until the day before Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent). It contains anywhere from three to eight Sundays, depending on how early or late Easter falls. The main focus in the readings of the Mass is Christ’s earthly ministry, rather than any one particular event. The counting of the Sundays resumes following Eastertide, however, two Sundays are replaced by Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and depending on whether the year has 52 or 53 weeks, one may be omitted.

In the 1962 form of the Roman Rite, the Time after Epiphany has anywhere from one to six Sundays. As in the current form of the rite, the season mainly concerns Christ’s preaching and ministry, with many of his parables read as the Gospel readings. The season begins on 14 January[3] and ends on the Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday. Omitted Sundays after Epiphany are transferred to Time after Pentecost and celebrated between the Twenty-Third and the Last Sunday after Pentecost according to an order indicated in the Code of Rubrics, 18, which also states that, if there are not enough Sundays in the year to accommodate them all, then those for which there is no room are omitted.

Color: Green

Septuagesima

Main article: Septuagesima

Until the 1969 reform of the Roman Missal and General Calendar, the two-and-a-half-week period before Lent formed a pre-Lenten season called Septuagesima, the Latin word for “seventieth”. The season of Septuagesima thus remains in the 1962 form of the Roman rite as well as in some Protestant calendars. It is a transition from the first part of the season per annum[4] to the season of Lent, and a preparation for the fasting and penance which begin on Ash Wednesday. Although most of the Divine Office remains the same as during the season per annum, certain customs of Lent are adopted, including the suppression of the “Alleluia”, the replacement of the Alleluia at Mass with the Tract and the Gloria is no longer said on Sundays.

In the post-1969 form of the Roman Rite, there is no intermediary season between Ordinary Time and Lent.

Color: Violet

Lent and Passiontide

Main articles: Lent, Passiontide, and Holy Week

Lent is a major penitential season of preparation for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and, if the penitential days of Good Friday and Holy Saturday are included, lasts for forty days, since the six Sundays within the season are not counted.

In the Roman Rite the Gloria in Excelsis Deo and the Te Deum are not used in the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours respectively, except on Solemnities and Feasts, and the Alleluia and verse that usually precede the reading of the Gospel is either omitted or replaced with another acclamation.

Lutheran churches make these same omissions.

As in Advent, the deacon and subdeacon of the 1962 form of the Roman Rite do not wear their habitual dalmatic and tunicle (signs of joy) in Masses of the season during Lent; instead they wear “folded chasubles”, in accordance with the ancient custom.

In the 1962 form of the Roman Rite, the last two Sundays in the season of Lent are called the First and Second Sundays in Passiontide, and in all Masses of the last two weeks the Gloria Patri is omitted at the Entrance Antiphon.[5] The veiling of crucifixes and images of the saints with violet cloth, which was obligatory in 1962 is left to the decision of the national bishops conference in the later form of the Roman Rite. In all forms, the readings begin to focus even more on the Passion of Christ.

The last week of Lent is called Holy Week.

In the Roman Rite, feasts that fall within that week are simply omitted, unless they have the rank of Solemnity, in which case they are transferred to another date. The only solemnities inscribed in the General Calendar that can fall within that week are those of St. Joseph and the Annunciation.

Color: violet. In some traditions, rose may be used on the 4th Sunday of Lent, called Laetare Sunday in the Roman Rite. Red is used for Palm Sunday in this rite (but only for the blessing of the palms in its 1962 form). In the traditional form of the Palm Sunday liturgy, before the reforms of 1955, violet was used in the Roman rite both for the blessing of palms and procession and for the subsequent Mass.

Easter Triduum

Main article: Easter Triduum

The Easter Triduum consists of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.[6]

It begins on the evening before Good Friday with Mass of the Lord’s Supper, celebrated with white vestments,[7] which often includes a ritual of ceremonial footwashing. In other traditions also a footwashing ritual is observed. It is customary on this night for a vigil involving private prayer to take place, beginning after the evening service and continuing until midnight. This vigil is occasionally renewed at dawn, continuing until the Good Friday liturgy.

During the day of Good Friday Mass is not celebrated in the Catholic Church. Instead a Celebration of the Passion of the Lord is held in the afternoon or evening. It consists of three parts: a Liturgy of the Word that includes the reading of the account of the Passion by John the Evangelist and concludes with a solemn Universal Prayer. Other churches also have their Good Friday commemoration of the Passion. The color of vestments varies: no color, red, or black are used in different traditions. Colored hangings may be removed. Lutheran churches often either remove colorful adornments and icons, or veil them with drab cloth. The service is usually plain with somber music, ending with the congregation leaving in silence. In the Roman Catholic, some Lutheran, and High Anglican rites, a crucifix (not necessarily the one which stands on or near the altar on other days of the year) is ceremoniously unveiled. Other crucifixes are unveiled, without ceremony, after the service.

Holy Saturday commemorates the day during which Christ lay in the tomb. In the Roman Catholic Church, there is no Mass on this day; the Easter Vigil Mass, which, though celebrated properly at the following midnight, is often celebrated in the evening, is an Easter Mass. With no liturgical celebration, there is no question of a liturgical color.

The Easter Vigil is held in the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. See also Paschal candle. The liturgical color is white, often together with gold. In the Roman Rite, during the “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” the organ and bells are used in the liturgy for the first time in 2 days, and the statues, which have been veiled during Passiontide, are unveiled. In Lutheran churches, colors and icons are re-displayed as well.

Easter season

Main article: Easter

Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. The date of Easter varies from year to year, according to a lunar-calendar dating system (see computus for details). In the Roman Rite, the Easter season extends from the Easter Vigil through Pentecost Sunday. In the 1962 form of the rite, this season includes also the Octave of Pentecost, so Eastertide lasts until None of the following Saturday.

In the Roman Rite, the Easter octave allows no other feasts to be celebrated or commemorated during it; a solemnity, such as the Annunciation, falling within it is transferred to the following Monday. If Easter Sunday or Easter Monday falls on 25 April, the Greater Litanies, which in the 1962 form of the Roman Rite are on that day, are transferred to the following Tuesday.[8]

Ascension Thursday, which celebrates the return of Jesus to heaven following his resurrection, is the fortieth day of Easter, but, in places where it is not observed as a Holy Day of Obligation, it is transferred to the following Sunday.[9]

Pentecost is the fiftieth and last day of the Easter season. It celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, which traditionally marks the birth of the Church, see also Apostolic Age.

Color: Gold or white, except on Pentecost, on which the color is Red.

Ordinary Time, Time after Pentecost, Time after Trinity, or Kingdomtide

Main articles: Ordinary Time and Kingdomtide

In the Roman rite, Ordinary Time resumes after the Easter Season, either on Pentecost Monday or (in the 1962 form of the rite) the following Monday, and ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent. The first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday. In the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Sundays of Ordinary Time resume their numbering at the point that will make the last of the series the thirty-fourth. In the 1962 form the Sundays are numbered as “Sundays after Pentecost”. The Eastern Orthodox and some Protestants also count Sundays from Pentecost, but some Protestants instead number them from Trinity Sunday.

Feasts during this season include:

* In the Catholic and some Anglican traditions the feast of Corpus Christi occurs eleven days after Pentecost, but is sometimes transferred to the following Sunday.
* Also in the Catholic tradition, Friday in the third week after Pentecost is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
* Most Western traditions celebrate All Saints’ Day on November 1 or the Sunday following. The liturgical color is White. The following day, November 2, is All Souls’ Day.
* Saints Days are observed by Lutherans and include the apostles, Virgin Mary and noteworthy figures in the Christian faith. The Confession of St. Peter [Week of Prayer for Christian Unity starting on January 18]. Conversion of St. Paul ended week of prayer on [January 25]. Martin Luther King, Jr., renewer of society, martyr [January 15], Presentation of Our Lord and Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary [Candlemass] on [February 2]. Joseph, Guardian of Jesus St Joseph Day on [March 19], Annunciation of Our Lord [March 25], Visit of Mary to Elizabeth Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on [May 31].
* Lutherans also celebrate St John the Baptist or the Beheading of St John the Baptist on [June 24], St Mary Magdalene, Apostle [July 22], St. Mary, Mother of Our Lord or the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on [August 15], Holy Cross Day [September 14], Francis of Assisi, renewal of the Church St. Francis of Assisi on [October 4], and the Holy Innocents, Martyrs [December 28].
* Among the Lesser Feasts and Commemorations on the Lutheran liturgical calendar include Anthony of Egypt, renewer of the church St Anthony of Egypt on [January 17], Henry, Bishop of Uppsala, martyr St Henry of Uppsala on [January 19], Timothy, Titus and Silas, missionaries St Timothy, St Titus and St Silas Day on [January 26], Ansgar, Bishop of Hamburg, missionary to Denmark and Sweden St Ansgar Bishop on [February 3], Cyril, monk and Methodius, bishop, missionaries to the Slavs St Cyril and St Methodius Day on [February 14], Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome St Gregory the Great on [March 12], Patrick, bishop and missionary to Ireland St Patrick’s Day on [March 17], Olavus Petri, priest and Laurentius Petri, Bishop of Uppsala, renewers of the church on [April 19], Anselm, Bishop of Canterbury St Anselm, Bishop on [April 21], Catherine of Siena, theologian St Catherine of Siena Day on [April 29], Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria St Athanasius, Bishop on [May 2], Monica, mother of Augustine St Monica, mother of St Augustine on [May 4], Erik, King of Sweden St Erik of Sweden on [May 18], Boniface, Bishop of Mainz, martyr [St Boniface, Martyr] on [June 5], Basil the Great, Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa and Gregory. Bishop of Constantinople St Basil the Great, St Gregory of Nyssa and St Gregory of Nazianzus on [June 14], Benedict of Nursia St Benedict Day on [July 11], Birgitta of Sweden, renewer of the Church St Birgitta of Sweden Day on July 23], Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary on [July 26], Dominic, founder of Orders of Preachers St Dominic Day on [August 8], Augustine, Bishop of Hippo St Augustine of Hippo on [August 28], Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage St Cyprian, Martyr on [September 16], Teresa of Avila, teacher of the Church St Teresa of Avila Day on [October 15], Martin de Porres, renewer of society St Martin de Porres Day on [November 3], Martin, Bishop of Tours St Martin of Tours Day on [November 11], Elizabeth of Hungary, renewer of society St Elizabeth of Hungary Day on [November 17], Lucy, Martyr [St Lucy] Santa Lucia Day on [December 13].
* There are many other holy days on the Lutheran calendar Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 2006.
* Some traditions celebrate St. Michael’s Day (Michaelmas) on September 29.
* Some traditions celebrate St. Martin’s Day (Martinmas) on November 11.
* In the Roman Rite Christ the King is celebrated on the last Sunday before Advent or, in its 1962 form, on the last Sunday in October. The Feast of Christ the King is observed by Lutherans.
* In some Protestant traditions, especially those with closer ties to the Lutheran tradition, Reformation Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday preceding October 31, commemorating the purported day Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The liturgical color is Red, celebrating the Holy Spirit’s continuing work in renewing the Church.
* Many traditions treat the final few weeks of Ordinary Time as having a distinctive focus on the coming of the Kingdom of God, so that the liturgical year turns full circle by anticipating one of the predominant themes of Advent. In the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, the final three Sundays have such an eschatological theme, though without any change in designation for those Sundays. In the extraordinary form, the Gospel for the Last Sunday after Pentecost, Matthew 24:15-35, likewise concerns the end of the world, and ties in to the beginning of the new liturgical year as the Gospel for the next Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, is the same discourse as related in Luke 21:25-33. Some other denominations, however, change the designation and sometimes also the liturgical colour. For example, the Church of England uses the term “Sundays before Advent” for the final four Sundays and permits red vestments as an alternative. The term “Kingdomtide” is used by a number of denominations, among them the United Methodist Church and the Christian Church - Synod of Saint Timothy. In the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), this is known as the “Period of End Times,” and red vestments are worn on the first and second Sundays.

Assumption of Mary

Main article: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Observed by Roman Catholics and some Anglicans on August 15, which is the same as the Eastern and Orthodox feast of the Dormition, the end of the earthly life of the Virgin Mary and, for some, her bodily Assumption into heaven, is celebrated. The Roman Catholic teaching on this feast was defined as dogma on November 1, 1950 by Pope Pius XII in the Papal Bull, Munificentissimus Deus.

In other Anglican and Lutheran traditions, as well as a few others, August 15 is celebrated as St. Mary, Mother of the Lord.

Color: white

References

1. ^ Barry, One Faith, One Lord (2001), p. 116
2. ^ Code of Rubrics included in the 1962 Roman Missal, 72
3. ^ 1960 Code of Rubrics incorporated in the 1962 Roman Missal, 77
4. ^ “The season per annum runs from 14 January to none of Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday” (Code of Rubrics, 77
5. ^ 1960 Code of Rubrics, 428
6. ^ General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 19
7. ^ Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 44
8. ^ 1960 Code of Rubrics, 80
9. ^ General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 7 and 25
10. ^ Sparrow, Anthony and John Henry Cardinal Newman. A Rationale upon the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, Oxford, UK (502)

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Chad Simpson (397 Posts)

Chad is a Catholic blogger living in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex who focuses on exposing the distortions, half-truths, and outright heresies of the liberal media. He adheres to the Magisterial teachings of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. He and his wife home school their three children and attend the Novus Ordo mass in Latin whenever possible.