While you’re all getting reading to celebrate Thanksgiving, keep in mind that the new Church year begins with Saturday Vigil Mass on November 30th, the First Sunday of Advent. God has given us a beautiful way to make time sacred by observing the Church’s calendar, also called the liturgical calendar. Fr. Anthony explained in his Epiphany homily in January the major aspects of the liturgical calendar. The two anchor feasts are Christmas and Easter, with a season before each feast in preparation, and a season following the feast in celebration.

Going to Mass on special feast days (in addition to Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation), enjoying a special meal, learning about the Saint of the day, or praying the Liturgy of the Hours for a feast day are among the many ways that you can make time sacred. Catholicculture.org has a section on the liturgical year which is a great resource for living the liturgical year.

The parish has compiled all the Holy Days of Obligations, major feasts, and select feasts of lesser importance, with dates and Mass times, here. It is a rare year in which some medium rank feasts, like the Presentation of the Lord, fall on a Sunday and are celebrated at all weekend Masses.

As a reminder for longtime parishioners and news to new ones, during Advent and Lent we sing Latin/Greek chants for a few parts of the Mass. You can read and listen to them at the bottom of last year’s post, which you can find here.