Catholic Liturgical Calendar

Liturgical Calendar 2025 - 2026 | Year A — Weekday Cycle Year II

Important Days, Holy Days, Feast Days & Solemnities in the Church

• Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother Of God Thursday, January 01, 2026 New Year's Day - Our Lady's divine maternity
• Ash Wednesday Wednesday, February 18, 2026 The first day of Lent (day of fasting and abstinence)
• Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord Sunday, March 29, 2026
• Holy Thursday Thursday, April 02, 2026 Maundy Thursday - Mass of the Lord's Supper
• Good Friday Friday, April 03, 2026 Our Lord's Passion and Death (day of fasting and abstinence)
• Easter Vigil Saturday, April 04, 2026 Holy Saturday (Paschal Vigil)
• Easter Sunday Sunday, April 05, 2026 Resurrection Sunday - The Solemnity of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ - Solemnity of Solemnities
• 2nd Sunday of Easter Sunday, April 12, 2026 Divine Mercy Sunday
• 7th Sunday of Easter Sunday, May 17, 2026 Ascension of Our Lord
• Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026 The Gift of the Holy Spirit
• 9th Sunday Ordinary Time Sunday, May 31, 2026 Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity - Holy Trinity Sunday
• 10th Sunday Ordinary Time Sunday, June 07, 2026 Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Feast of Corpus Christi - Our Lord's Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament
• Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Into Heaven Saturday, August 15, 2026
• All Saints Day Sunday, November 01, 2026
• 34th Sunday Ordinary Time Sunday, November 22, 2026 Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - Feast of Christ the King
• First Sunday of Advent Sunday, November 29, 2026 (symbolizes Hope) 1st Sunday of Church Year
• Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Tuesday, December 08, 2026
• Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Friday, December 25, 2026 Christmas

Other Moveable Feast Days

• Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord Wednesday, March 25, 2026
• Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Friday, June 12, 2026
• The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary Saturday, June 13, 2026

For a more detailed list including Stations of the Cross on Lenten Fridays, Liturgical seasons (Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, Paschal Triduum, Easter, Ordinary Time after Pentecost Sunday), go to:Liturgical Calendar

Why the Holy Mass is SO Powerful

“The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!” Pope Paul VI

The Mass is a Gift from Jesus that He Commands Us to Celebrate

The Mass is the Re-presentation of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

Mass is a Communal, Family Prayer

Mass is where Jesus is Really, Truly Present in the Eucharist

What are the purposes for which the Mass is offered?

First, to adore God as our Creator and Lord.

Second, to thank God for His many favours.

Third, to ask God to bestow His blessings on all men.

Fourth, to satisfy the justice of God for the sins committed against Him.

At the hour of death the Holy Masses you have heard devoutly will be your greatest consolation.

When Christmas falls on a Monday

Fourth Sunday of Advent: You must attend a Vigil (Saturday evening) Mass or any Mass on Sunday before 3 PM.

Nativity of the Lord (Christmas): A Vigil Mass for Christmas on Sunday, December 24th, or any Mass on Monday, December 25th, fulfills this obligation.

The Holy Family (Sunday): Similar to a regular Sunday, attend a Vigil (Saturday evening) Mass or any Mass on Sunday before 3 PM.

Mary, Mother of God: Fulfill this obligation by attending a Vigil Mass on Sunday, December 31st or any Mass on Monday, January 1st.

Holy Days of Obligation

On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Holy Mass. - (Canon Law 1244-1253)

Holy days of obligation are feast days on which Catholics are required to attend Holy Mass and to avoid (to the extent that they are able) servile work, allowing time for worship and spiritual reflection.

Purpose & Sabbath Observance: The Church encourages attendance to remember and rejoice in significant events in the faith, reflecting on God's love as exemplified in passages like John 3:16.

The faithful go to Mass on these holy days to recall that there is a reason to rejoice -

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (John 3: 16.)

From this perspective, holy days of obligation are a gift. The faithful take a step back from preoccupations to remember what is true, good, and beautiful. The obligation on these days is rooted in the broader Christian principle of keeping the Lord's Day holy, emphasizing rest and worship, echoing the commandment to remember the Sabbath.

Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son, or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

Exodus 20: 8 - 11

Every Sunday, the Lord's Day, is recognized as a holy day of obligation and Catholics are bound to participate in Holy Mass on Sunday or at an anticipated Mass on Saturday in the late afternoon or evening.

There are 10 Holy Days of Obligation in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church:

• Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother Of God - January 1
• Epiphany - January 6
• Solemnity of St. Joseph - March 19
• Ascension of Our Lord
• Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ
• Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul - June 29
• Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Into Heaven - August 15
• All Saints Day - November 1
• Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - December 8
• Christmas, the Nativity of Our Lord - December 25

Ref: Holy Days of Obligation, Liturgical Calendar, Most Important Solemnities & Feasts