(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 02.04.2025).- The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has issued a clarification regarding the transfer of holy days of obligation when they coincide with other significant liturgical celebrations. The documentreaffirms a longstanding principle: when a solemnity of obligation is moved due to a scheduling conflict with a higher-ranking feast, the requirement to attend Mass does not follow the new date.
This clarification addresses a recurring issue in the liturgical calendar known as «occurrentia festorum», which arises when two feast days fall on the same date. In such cases, the liturgical norms dictate that the celebration of higher precedence, according to the «Table of Liturgical Days», takes priority, while the other feast may be moved to a later date.
For example, if the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, traditionally observed on December 8, coincided with an Advent Sunday, the Sunday celebration would take precedence, and the observance of the Immaculate Conception would be moved to Monday, December 9. However, despite this adjustment, the Vatican’s new clarification emphasizes that the obligation to attend Mass on December 8 does not automatically shift to December 9. While the faithful are encouraged to honor the solemnity, attendance at Mass on the rescheduled date remains optional.
The note also distinguishes between permanent changes to the calendar, which require approval from the Holy See, and temporary adjustments due to specific liturgical conflicts. Conferences of Bishops do have the authority, under Canon 1246 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, to transfer or suppress certain holy days of obligation permanently with Vatican approval. However, this flexibility does not extend to cases where a feast is moved on a one-time basis due to a calendar conflict.
By reaffirming this principle, the dicastery aims to provide clarity and consistency in the Church’s liturgical discipline. The clarification ensures that while significant feasts may be rescheduled for pastoral and liturgical reasons, the obligation to attend Mass remains tied to its original date, except when explicitly modified by broader ecclesiastical authority.
Full text of the Note of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
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