Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation
The third commandment instructs us to ‘Remember to keep the Sabbath day (Lord’s Day) holy. This requires us to attend Mass every Sunday, and on certain days throughout the year.
The Holy Days of Obligation are:
- Sundays throughout the year. (Each Sunday is the Lord’s Day, a recognition of His Resurrection.)
- Christmas Day – December 25th (the Solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord, in recognition of the beginning of His redemptive work).
- The Circumcision of our Lord – January 1st.
- Ascension Day (in honor of the final glorification of our humanity in Christ’s Person).
- All Saints’ Day – November 1st – (in honor of Christ’s triumph in redeemed humanity).
For further questions regarding Mass attendance, please reach out to your local pastor. As a general rule of thumb, extenuating circumstances (sickness, inability to travel, etc.) will result in dispensation, but a willful decision (going to a sports event, party, etc. instead of Mass) does not. Your pastor will be able to answer this best for your unique situation.
In the event that circumstances absolutely prevent you from attending Mass, we encourage you to watch a livestreamed Mass from one of our parishes.