Office of Worship :: Diocesan Liturgical Observances
In the Diocese of Baton Rouge, there is one local diocesan-wide feast day.
The "Anniversary of the Dedication of St. Joseph Cathedral" is observed throughout the diocese on September 30 with the rank of feast, unless September 30 falls on Sunday when the Ordinary Sunday observance takes precedence. (In the cathedral itself the day is always observed with the rank of Solemnity.)
Since the principal patronal feast of the diocese and of its cathedral is that of St. Joseph, which is already celebrated with the rank of Solemnity throughout the entire universal Church, there is no additional diocesan liturgical norm for the feast of St. Joseph on March 19.
View General Holy Days of Obligation
Each parish celebrates, with the rank of Solemnity, the "Anniversary of the Dedication" of its church-building. This observance is impeded only by liturgical days having greater precedence. Also, the feast or memorial of the titular patron of a parish is also celebrated as a Solemnity within that parish, even if of lesser rank in the universal calendar.
There are three special observances for the Diocese of Baton Rouge and the other six dioceses which make up the Metropolitan Province of New Orleans. The first is the Solemnity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Patroness of Louisiana, observed on January 8 unless impeded by another solemnity (e.g., Epiphany or the Baptism of the Lord). The others are the optional Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R., on October 5, and the Feast of St. Martin de Porres, the secondary patron of the Province, on November 3.
The creation of the Diocese of Baton Rouge was announced by Blessed Pope John XXIII on July 22, 1961. The actual erection of the diocese and installation of the Most Reverend Robert E. Tracy as our First Bishop took place on November 8, 1961. Thus these days too are special to the community of the Christian faithful here.
The particular liturgical calendar for the United States differs from the universal liturgical calendar in a number of ways (e.g., different days or ranks for certain weekday celebrations).
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Obligatory Memorial
St. John Neumann
Obligatory Memorial
Blessed André Bessette
Optional Memorial
Particular Day of Penance for Violations
to Human Dignity Through Acts of Abortion
Memorial
St. Katharine Drexel
Optional Memorial
St. Damien de Veuster of Moloka'i
Optional Memorial
St. Isidore the Farmer
Optional Memorial
Blessed Junípero Serra
the Optional Memorial
Independence Day
Optional Memorial
Note: Appropriate liturgical texts found in the Roman Missal and Lectionary
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
Obligatory Memorial
St. Camillus de Lellis
Optional Memorial
St. Jane Frances Frémiot de Chantal
Optional Memorial
St. Mother Theodore Guerin
Optional Memorial
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher
the Optional Memorial
Sts. Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and the other North American Martyrs
Obligatory Memorial
St. Paul of the Cross
Optional Memorial
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Obligatory Memorial
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
Optional Memorial
Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro
Optional Memorial
Note: Thanksgiving Day on the Fourth Thursday of November may be observed using the appropriate liturgical texts found in the Roman Missal and Lectionary.
St. Juan Diego
Optional Memorial
Our Lady of Guadelupe
Feast
To add the general liturgical calendar for the United States of America to your Google or Apple Calendar, you can download a .ics file with the feasts of each year.