We must always remember that union with Christ is possible because of the Son’s descent to earth, not because of our ascent into heaven. The basis of our union with Christ is Christ’s union with us in the incarnation. He became one with us so that we might become one with Him.
Kevin DeYoung

Feasts And Festivals

Feasts And Festivals

FEASTS AND FESTIVALS

BASIC R.C. BELIEF

Certain days are set aside each year by the Roman Catholic Church in order to impress upon people’s minds great truths of religion. The more important feasts are Holydays of Obligation (on which a Roman Catholic must go to Mass), of which there are six: Christmas, Circumcision (Jan. 1), Ascension Day, Assumption (Aug. 15), All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) There are others are observed by the universal Church but not in the U.S.: Epiphany, Corpus Christi, St. Joseph and Sts. Peter and Paul.

Other feasts include Easter, Pentecost, Purification of our Blessed Lady, Annunciation, Trinity Sunday, Sacred Heart, All Souls Day, Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

There are many feasts of Mary; in the 12th century only four were universally observed. At present, the number has increased to about 20.

There is a very involved system of attaching comparative liturgical rank to each feast. In ascending order of importance, they are: simple, semidouble, greater double, double of the second class, double of the first class.

Some great feasts have octaves, which extend the solemnity for 8 days. In 1928, Pius XI raised the feast of the Sacred Heart to a first class feast with a third class octave.

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