BLOG POST | Hey Deacon!

Isn’t the Assumption of Mary a holy day of obligation?

Yes, but not this year.  Confused?  You’re not alone.

This year it is not a holy day of obligation, but most other years it is.  Some decades ago, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops decided that if certain holy days of obligation occurred on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass was removed.  This rule has unfortunately made for an awkward and confusing situation when it comes to knowing the law of holy days.

There are only five holy days in the U.S. that are not celebrated on Sundays which most U.S. Catholics are asked to remember and observe:  Christmas, Solemnity of Mary, Immaculate Conception, Assumption, and All Saints.

As Catholics, we are taught that every Sunday is essentially a holy day.  That is, we set aside the first day of the week to “abstain from those labors and business concerns” which are an impediment to worship, joy, works of mercy, and proper relaxation of mind and body.  Each Sunday becomes for us a “little Easter”, commemorating the Lord’s Resurrection.  Certain other days on the liturgical calendar have come to share the obligatory pull of the Sunday observance.

Christmas and Easter (which always falls on Sunday) are the highest-ranking holy days on the Church calendar.  And in the United States, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) is also held with high honor and is a day we are obligated to attend Mass.  However, if any of the remaining holy days fall on a Saturday or Monday, they are not considered holy days of obligation because they are back-to-back with Sunday.  The concern is that it would be burdensome to many Catholics to have to go to church two days in a row.

So, it is true that this year the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a holy day of obligation since it occurs on a Monday.  And, while this year’s solemnity is not obligatory, there remains an instinct of desire to celebrate this day by going to Mass.  This is why so many of the faithful still go to Mass on the Assumption, even if it is not obligatory because it just feels right.