Holy Church celebrates the saving work of Christ on prescribed days in the course of the year with sacred remembrance. Each week, on the day called the Lord’s Day, she commemorates the Resurrection of the Lord, which she also celebrates once a year in the great Paschal Solemnity, together with his blessed Passion. In fact, throughout the course of the year the Church unfolds the entire mystery of Christ and observes the birthdays of the Saints. (Sacrosanctum Concilium #102)

Guide to Which Mass is to be Celebrated ~

USCCB 2025 Liturgical Calendar

USCCB 2026 Liturgical Calendar 

Table of Permissibility for Ritual Masses, Votive Masses, and Masses of Various Needs and Occasions

This handy guide will help you to determine if a special Mass can be said on any given liturgical day!

Holydays of Obligation ~

Holy Days of Obligation for 2025 are:

  • January 1, 2025 (Wednesday) – Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, is a Holy Day of Obligation.
  • June 1, 2025 (Sunday) – The Ascension of the Lord is transferred to the following Sunday in the Diocese.
  • August 15, 2025 (Friday) – Solemnity of the Assumption of the BVM is a Holy Day of Obligation
  • November 1, 2025 (Saturday) – The Solemnity of All Saints is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation
  • December 8, 2025 (Monday) – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the BVM is a Holy Day of Obligation.
  • December 25, 2025 (Thursday) – the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord is a Holy Day of Obligation.

Holy Days of Obligation for 2026 are:

  • January 1, 2026 (Thursday) – Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, is a Holy Day of Obligation.
  • May 17, 2026 (Sunday) – The Ascension of the Lord is transferred to the following Sunday in the Diocese of Phoenix
  • August 15, 2026 – The Assumption of the BVM is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation
  • November 1, 2026 (Sunday) – All Saints falls on a Sunday this year
  • December 8, 2026 (Tuesday) – The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day of Obligation
  • December 25, 2026 (Friday) – Christmas is a Holy Day of Obligation

Canon 1246, §2 – Holy Days of Obligation

On December 13, 1991 the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States of America made the following general decree concerning holy days of obligation for Latin Rite Catholics:

In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:

January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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.

This decree of the Conference of Bishops was approved and confirmed by the Apostolic See by a decree of the Congregation for Bishops (Prot. N. 296/84), signed by Bernardin Cardinal Gantin, Prefect of the Congregation, and dated July 4, 1992.

As President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, I hereby declare that the effective date of this decree for all the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America will be January 1, 1993, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Given at the offices of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC, November 17, 1992.

Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk
Archbishop of Cincinnati
President, NCCB

Monsignor Robert N. Lynch
General Secretary, NCCB