Celebration of the Immaculate Conception

FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING DECEMBER 8 & 9, 2024
 
Q. Is Monday, December 9, 2024 a holy day of obligation? 
 
A.  The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is to be celebrated as a holy day of obligation, even when the DATE  is transferred to Monday, December 9.  This was first conveyed in a memo to the U.S. bishops dated Thursday, October 10, by Bishop Paprocki.  He communicated the ruling he had received from the Dicastery for Legislative Texts :  “the feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.” 
 
Q. What Mass texts should we use on Sunday evening, December 8?
A.  All Masses on the Second Sunday of Advent (up to midnight on Sunday) will use Mass texts for the Second Sunday of Advent.  This liturgical day “outranks” the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on the “Table of Liturgical Days According to Their Order of Precedence” (See Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar, no. 59).    Sundays of Advent have a rank of two, Solemnities of the Lord, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saints have a rank of three.
 
Q. How does this ruling affect the other holy days which were impacted by the “Monday or Saturday” ruling of the USCCB in 1993?
A. In 1993, the USCCB ruled that when January 1, August 15, and November 1 fell on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass was abrogated.  This ruling did not apply to other solemnities, including Christmas and the Immaculate Conception (because the latter is the patronal feast of the United States).  These three solemnities – Mary, Mother of God, the Assumption, and All Saints -- will NOT be impacted by the recent ruling since there is no danger that their DATE will have to be transferred because there is no potential for them conflicting with a liturgical day of higher rank in their respective seasons.
 
The USA’s complementary norm for canon 1246, §2 remains in force: “Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.”