LITURGICAL CALENDAR

The Liturgical Calendar of the Catholic Church is organized into different periods for the respective seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time.

 

The liturgical calendar reflects Christ's saving work and is reflected in the various solemnities, feasts and memorials designated throughout the year. The liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight, but the observance of Sunday and solemnities begins with the evening of the preceding day. Each week on the Lord's Day, Sunday, the Church commemorates the Lord's resurrection. Each year Christ's resurrection is celebrated with the utmost solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord at Easter.

 

Conversion of St. PaulOrdinary time in the liturgical year occurs outside of the other liturgical periods at two different times of year. The first period of Ordinary Time begins the Monday after the Sunday of the Epiphany of the Lord (January 6th) and extends to the Tuesday evening before Ash Wednesday. The second period begins the Monday after the Sunday of Pentecost and extends to the night before Advent begins. Basically, Ordinary Time encompasses that part of the Christian year that does not fall within the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter.

 

Ordinary time by no means infers that it is a period whereby the Church "breaks" from the liturgical year. Quite the contrary as Ordinary Time celebrates the mystery of Christ in all its aspects. Many important liturgical celebrations fall during Ordinary Time including: the solemnities of the Holy Trinity and the Body and Blood of Christ, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Assumption and Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, All Saints, Commemoration of the Faithfully Departed, Christ The King and more.

 

During the liturgical, there are two holy days of obligation where the faithful must attend Mass and they are:

  1. The Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God
  2. The Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Day

In addition, there are three months during the liturgical year that are especially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus and they are:

  1. May, The Month of Mary
  2. June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
  3. October, The Month of the Rosary

Below is a list of the major solemnities, feasts and memorials for the 2012-2013 liturgical year. For a complete list please click on the Archdiocese of Toronto's 2012-2013 Liturgical Calendar:

 

  1. December 8th, 2012 - The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  2. December 12th - Our Lady of Guadalupe
  3. December 25th - The Nativity of The Lord (Christmas)
  4. December 28th - The Holy Innocents
  5. December 30th - The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
  6. January 1st, 2013 - The Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God
  7. January 6th - The Epiphany of The Lord
  8. January 13th - Baptism of the Lord
  9. January 25th - The Conversion of St. Paul
  10. February 2nd - The Presentation of The Lord
  11. February 13th - Ash Wednesday
  12. March 19th - St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  13. March 24th - Palm Sunday
  14. March 31st - The Resurrection of The Lord (Easter)
  15. April 8th - The Annunciation of The Lord
  16. May 3rd - Sts. Philip and James, The Apostles
  17. May 19th - Pentecost
  18. May 26th - The Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity
  19. May 31st - The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  20. June 2nd - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
  21. June 7th - The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
  22. June 8th - The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  23. June 24th - The Nativity of St. John The Baptist
  24. June 29th - Sts. Peter and Paul, The Apostles
  25. August 6th - The Transfiguration of The Lord
  26. August 15th - The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  27. August 22nd - The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  28. August 29th - The Passion of St. John the Baptist
  29. September 14th - The Exaltation of the Cross
  30. October 2nd - The Holy Guardian Angels
  31. October 7th - Our Lady of the Rosary
  32. November 1st - All Saints
  33. November 2nd - The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
  34. November 9th - The Dedication of The Lateran Basilica
  35. November 21st - The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  36. November 30th - St. Andrew The Apostle

 

The different colours used by the Church at various times of the liturgical year is as follows:

 

  • Violet - Season of Advent, Season of Septuagesima, Season of Lent, Rogation Days, Ember Days (except for Pentecost Ember Days), Vigils except for Ascension and Pentecost, Good Friday
  • Red - Feasts of the Lord's passion, Blood, and Cross, Feasts of the martyrs, Palm Sunday and Pentecost
  • White - Season of Christmas, Season of Easter, Feasts of the Lord, other than of His passion, Feasts of Mary, the angels, and saints who were not martyrs, All Saints (1 November), Feasts of the Apostles, Nuptial Masses, Masses for the dead (Requiem Masses) when the deceased is a baptized child who died before the age of reason
  • Green - Ordinary Time, the time after Epiphany and Pentecost
  • Black - All Souls Day, Masses for the dead (Requiem Masses), except for baptized children who have died before the age of reason