The Annunciation
I’ve been asked twice why we didn’t celebrate the Annunciation yesterday. The simple answer is “because it’s Easter.” Yes, normally the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25th but because it is the Octave of Easter that trumps everything else (just like Holy Week trumped St. Patrick’s Day and the Solemnity of St. Joseph).
The Vatican announced last year that the Annunciation would be moved to March 31st for 2008. It’s a Solemnity so it just can’t be skipped but rather gets transfered. Keep in mind that if it falls on a Sunday it gets transferred too.
Does it really matter? It should if you are Catholic. The liturgical year is the life of Christ lived out again in liturgical time —in the time and in the memory of His Church.
If a certain saint’s feast day falls on a Sunday it is not celebrated on that day. You can certainly celebrate on another day but it’s just not proper to celebrate it on a Sunday because that’s our high holy day. This isn’t unfair, it’s only right. Sundays we recall Easter and no Saint would wish us to put them before that.
“The Church celebrates the paschal mystery on the first day of the week, known as the Lord’s Day or Sunday. This follows a tradition handed down from the apostles and having its origin from the day of Christ’s resurrection. Thus Sunday must be ranked as the first holyday of all. ”
“Because of its special importance, the Sunday celebration gives way only to solemnities or feasts of the Lord. The Sundays of the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter, however, take precedence over all solemnities and feasts of the Lord. Solemnities occuring on these Sundays are observed on the Saturdays preceding.”
“By its nature, Sunday excludes any other celebration’s being permanently assigned to that day, with these exceptions:
Sunday within the octave of Christmas is the feast of the Holy Family;
Sunday following 6 January is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord;
Sunday after Pentecost is the solemnity of the Holy Trinity;
the last Sunday in Ordinary Time is the solemnity of Christ the King.”General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar
issue date: 14 February 1969
Hey I didn’t know this either until I started making Catholic planners and for the first couple of years I made the planner, I actually listed saints on Sundays. I am sorry if I caused confusion.
Now you know.
Subscribe to the comments for this post
One Person has left comments on this post
Apr 2, 2008 - 04:04:21I so appreciated this post, Michele. It does really matter. But I admit it’s also one of my little pet peeves not sticking with the calendar and observing Sundays and feasts accordingly.