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What is the Catholic mass calendar?+JMJ+There a several things you could be referring to. My first thought was an Ordo. There are two Liturgical calendars for the Mass, one is based on Easter, and determines the date of Easter, then works backwards to work out the Sundays of Lent, and forward for the Sundays of Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. This is worked out on the current civil calendar on Sundays.The other calendar is the dates, according to the Civil Calendar, thus the Annunciation always falls on March 25, and Christmas on December 25, and the various saints mostly on the day that they died, and various Feasts of Our Lord and His Blessed Mother on calendar dates: thus the Assumption is always on August 15, Immaculate Conception on December 8, All Saints on November 1st, etc.Another “Mass calendar” would be the calendar in which a particular parish would keep their list of intentions for a Mass. Thus the Sunday 8 am Mass might be said for my late father, the Monday Mass for another person. I try to have a Mass said on the First Friday of each month in reparation to the Sacred Heart, etc.

MY TOP 10ONE – EASTER VIGIL, SOLEMNITYFor me, this is the grandest, most powerful liturgical event of the liturgical calendar. At the Easter Vigil the church, the altar and sanctuary, all return to life after the abandonment when we clear everything from the sanctuary on Holy Thursday as a sign of Jesus’ abandonment at the Garden of Gethsemane. In this service we bless the new light, the Paschal candle, the light that Christ maintains throughout the world. In the Latin Rite one of the most beautiful liturgical hymns is sung: The Exsultet, or Easter Proclamation. At the watch until midnight the darkness is symbolically consumed by the light as Christ returns in the glory of the Mass. Here, in this one service, resides the historical theology of the early church and the hope that we have through the resurrection that offers each of us new life.TWO – ST. DAVID OF WALES, MEMORIALDavid has been my patron for many years. Having been brought up in Wales with a real connection to the life and work of the saints, David of Wales was a feature of many a child’s upbringing. David was consecrated Bishop by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and commissioned to bring Christianity to the land of Wales (he even managed to travel throughout Britain and founded the monastic community at Glastonbury), a time before the great saints, such as St Augustine of Canterbury who was commissioned by Rome almost a century after St David’s death. Before St David died, he spoke his last words to his monks: ““Be joyful and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.”THREE – HOLY THURSDAY, SOLEMNITYThis day is made up of two special liturgical events. The first is the Chrism Mass where the oil of the sick, oil of the Chrism and oil of the catechumen are blessed by the Bishop for the following year. The oils from the previous years are brought together and destroyed by flame. These oils hold profound importance to many, and so it is for me that on this day I can bless these same oils for my own ministry and the clergy of the clergy in the diocese. And then, after the Chrism Mass, we move into one of the most profoundly moving services: it is a service of moving contrast between the light of Christ present in the Eucharist, instituted in the upper room by Christ to his disciples, and the watch that keeps us ever focused on the abandon that Chris experiences at the Garden of Gethsemane. It has been my custom to light the sanctuary and church with candles after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, and to ‘watch’ upon the cross until midnight at which point the candles are extinguished, throwing us all into darkness.FOUR – CORPUS CHRISTI, SOLEMNITYThis is a ceremony of great joy for me. By offering an opportunity to celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, we are drawn into the greatest mystery of the church and are renewed each time we receive and believe. It has been my custom for some years to set up an ‘altar of repose’, where the consecrated host is placed on the altar in a monstrance, a receptacle that allows the faithful to attend and pray upon. We believe that Christ is bodily present in the host and so this time is spent in prayer and contemplation, with coral chanting from the choir offering quiet background music throughout is just beautiful. Benediction is offered to the faithful as the climax of the liturgy.FIVE – MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS, SOLEMNITYThe devotion to the Sacred Heart is one of the most widely practiced and well-known Roman Catholic devotions, taking the heart of the resurrected Body as the representation of the love by Jesus Christ, which is "his heart, pierced on the Cross" It is now six years since I consecrated myself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (through the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary). Although I pray daily to the Sacred Heart, this one day offers an opportunity to rededicate myself anew and repeat my vows from my original consecration through the Congregation.SIX – ST BENEDICT, MEMORIALI have been a Camoldolese Benedictine for some years now. When I took the promises asked of me by the Prior of the community in the United States, I was asked to pray daily for my fellow brother monks at the Hermitage, to study scripture daily through meditation, to pray for the world, to meditate upon the Rule of St Benedict daily and read the Psalms. These are not easy things to commit to, because it requires a set time each day to commit to prayer, meditation and reflection. I have changed how I approach this over the years, taking on a far more practical approach to the strictness I started it with years ago. For me being a Camoldolese Benedictine is as much a part of my identity as is being a bishop. Whenever I experience moments where I need support through prayer, I know I can turn to my fellow brothers at the hermitage and they will hold me up in their way of prayer that has been handed down through the centuries. I wear my Benedictine medal, even argued over having it removed when I had an X-Ray in hospital (I won the argument eventually) and often wear the scapular of the Order at suitable services. This really is a personal part of my faith journey and is firmly rooted in my own life of prayer.SEVEN – ST FELIX OF DUNWICH, MEMORIALSt Felix doesn’t appear on the liturgical calendar for the Latin church and you may wonder why I chose to honour him each year. I do so, not just each year, but every day as I share with him my needs and ask for his intercession to the Lord. Felix was the first Christian to bring Christianity to East Anglia. I have lived here for almost 16 years and when I was asked by the Benedictine brothers to choose a religious name upon my full profession as a Camoldolese Benedictine, it was the name Felix that I chose, after the ‘Apostle of East Anglia’. Felix established many monastic houses in East Anglia, and in Norfolk there are three churches that exist that were personally established by him: one of them hosted by priesting ordination. St Felix continues to inspire me with his sense of mission, of evangelism and in the way that he approached the communities with humility and faith in the Lord.EIGHT – ASCENSION OF THE LORD, SOLEMNITYMy priesting ordination was held on this solemnity. Until that event this solemnity hadn’t stood out from amongst the numerous others that I observed throughout the year. On this day we remember Christ’s words, words that are now known as the Great Commission: “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. [17] When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. [18] Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [Matthew 28:17-20].What powerful words to have read on that very day we remember this event, words upon which every ministry is founded. It is a clear reminder, also, that in our ministry we are not alone: not only does Christ still share in our task, as the High Priest, but so do the Apostles and saints that have gone before us. This is very much at the core of why the memorial and celebration of the feasts of the saints is so important to my spiritual life.NINE – ALL SOULS, SOLEMNITYAs you may have noticed by now, I choose things that mean something to me. Why All Souls and not All Saints? Both are important to me, and this wasn’t a Top 20, otherwise both would have appeared, but of the two All Souls is the most important to me personally. It is a day when we remember all those who have gone before us in the sleep of peace, who we pray for in the hope of resurrection and eternal salvation, and he we remember for the qualities they held that we still hold within us. Over the years I have accumulated a ‘diptych’ (as the Orthodox church would understand it) which holds a large list of names from various parishes that are remembered and recalled after Mass. Each name is assigned a candle and they are lit after the distribution of Holy Communion. These candles will only stay lit for two hours. During this time their names are read aloud and prayed for, and by the time the candles extinguish, each name has been remembered and lifted up to God, entreating the Virgin Mary each time for her prayers and intercession. Many of these names are unknown to me as I have accumulated a large number over a 20-year period, but they remain held in love and in prayer each year on the solemnity of All Souls.TEN – ST IGNATIUS OF LOYOLAThe teachings of St Ignatius of Loyola taught me a lot, at a time when I was struggling with my prayer life, about the very nature of prayer and how there are many different forms of prayer beyond the usual that starts with ‘Our Father’. St Ignatius was a priest who founded the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuit Order (His Holiness, Pope Francis is a member). St Ignatius is most remembered as a talented spiritual director. He recorded his method in a celebrated text called the Spiritual Exercises, a simple set of meditations, prayers, and other mental exercises, first published in 1548. Almost 500 years later, these exercises still appear fresh and relevant today. I owe St Ignatius a great deal, and I always find myself dipping into his Spiritual Exercises from time to time.

+JMJ+Approximately 25:From 2020 Holy Days of Obligation and Solemnities - Relevant RadioThe end of the year (and decade) is approaching, and if you’re like me, you like to plan ahead—especially when it comes to major liturgical feasts that change dates year-to-year (Easter, anyone?)! To help you keep track of everything coming up in the 2020 calendar year, I’ve compiled a list of the Holy Days of Obligation for the year, as well as solemnities and some other special celebrations within the Church’s calendar. This list is not exhaustive—you can visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website for the full liturgical calendar. Holy Days of Obligation are marked below, but remember, Sundays are always obligatory!2020 Holy Days of Obligation: Sundays (including Epiphany, Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Pentecost, etc.) are always obligatory.Wednesday, January 1, 2020– Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of GodThursday, May 21, 2020– Ascension of the Lord (celebrated on Thursday in some dioceses; in others it is transferred to Sunday, May 24, 2020)Tuesday, December 8, 2020– Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin MaryFriday, December 25, 2020– The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)Is it one of your goals to grow in holiness this year? Branch out from the obligatory Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation, and discover the richness and beauty contained the Church’s liturgical calendar. These holy days and solemnities are a great place to start! To ensure that you don’t forget these celebrations, put the dates on your calendar now and you’ll be prepared for the whole year!Wednesday, January 1, 2020 – Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God, Holy Day of ObligationSunday, January 5, 2020 – Solemnity of the Epiphany of the LordSunday, January 12, 2020 – The Baptism of the LordWednesday, February 26, 2020 – Ash WednesdayIt is a common misconception that Ash Wednesday is a Holy Day of Obligation. However, it’s a great way to start the Lenten season!Thursday, March 19, 2020 – Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin MaryWednesday, March 25, 2020 – Solemnity of the Annunciation of the LordSunday, April 5, 2020 – Palm Sunday of the Passion of the LordThursday, April 9, 2020 – Holy ThursdayFriday, April 10, 2020 – Good FridaySaturday, April 11, 2020 – Holy SaturdaySunday, April 12, 2020 – Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the LordSunday, April 19, 2020 – Divine Mercy SundayThursday, May 21, 2020 – Ascension of the Lord (Holy Day of Obligation in some dioceses)In several ecclesiastical provinces, the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on Thursday. In other dioceses, the solemnity is celebrated on the following Sunday, May 24, 2020. Check with your local parish or diocese if you aren’t sure.Sunday, May 31, 2020 – PentecostSunday, June 7, 2020 – Solemnity of the Most Holy TrinitySunday, June 14, 2020 – Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)Friday, June 19, 2020 – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of JesusWednesday, June 24, 2020 – Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the BaptistMonday, June 29, 2020 – Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, ApostlesSaturday, August 15, 2020 – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin MaryBecause it falls on a Saturday, the Assumption is not a Holy Day of Obligation this yearSunday, November 1, 2020 – Solemnity of All SaintsNormally a separate Holy Day of Obligation, but since All Saints Day falls on a Sunday this year, your regular Sunday Mass will fulfill the obligationMonday, November 2, 2020 – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)Sunday, November 22, 2020 – Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Christ the King)Tuesday, December 8, 2020 – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Day of ObligationFriday, December 25, 2020 – The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Holy Day of Obligation