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Holy Days of Obligation

The days, besides every Sunday, on which a Catholic in the United States is bound to hear Mass — for this year and the two that follow.

Every Sunday is a day of obligation. Beyond the Sundays, the Church names certain feasts on which the faithful are likewise bound to take part in the Mass and to rest, as far as they can, from work that keeps them from the worship owed to God (CIC can. 1246–1248). The obligation may be satisfied at any Mass celebrated in a Catholic rite on the day itself or on the evening before.

The dates below are worked out from the law in force in the United States, not copied from a list, so they are right for whichever year you are reading in. The obligation follows your diocese, not the calendar your parish celebrates: the list is the same for the 1962 and the 1969 forms.

2026

  1. Past

    Mary, Mother of God

    On the 1962 calendar, the Octave Day of the Nativity

    Obligatory

  2. Past

    The Ascension of the Lord

    Obligatory

    Thursday in the provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha and Philadelphia. In every other diocese of the United States it is moved to Sunday, 17 May, and the Sunday Mass is the one owed.

  3. Past

    The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    Obligation lifted

    Falls on a Saturday this year. In the United States the obligation to attend Mass is lifted when this day falls on a Saturday or a Monday; the feast itself is still kept.

  4. All Saints

    On a Sunday

    Falls on a Sunday this year, so the Sunday Mass is the one owed.

  5. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    Obligatory

    The patronal feast of the United States.

  6. The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

    Obligatory

2027

  1. Mary, Mother of God

    On the 1962 calendar, the Octave Day of the Nativity

    Obligatory

  2. The Ascension of the Lord

    Obligatory

    Thursday in the provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha and Philadelphia. In every other diocese of the United States it is moved to Sunday, 9 May, and the Sunday Mass is the one owed.

  3. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    On a Sunday

    Falls on a Sunday this year, so the Sunday Mass is the one owed.

  4. All Saints

    Obligation lifted

    Falls on a Monday this year. In the United States the obligation to attend Mass is lifted when this day falls on a Saturday or a Monday; the feast itself is still kept.

  5. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    Obligatory

    The patronal feast of the United States.

  6. The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

    Obligatory

    Christmas binds on any day. With the Sunday after it, that is two obligations, and one Mass does not satisfy both.

2028

  1. Mary, Mother of God

    On the 1962 calendar, the Octave Day of the Nativity

    Obligation lifted

    Falls on a Saturday this year. In the United States the obligation to attend Mass is lifted when this day falls on a Saturday or a Monday; the feast itself is still kept.

  2. The Ascension of the Lord

    Obligatory

    Thursday in the provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha and Philadelphia. In every other diocese of the United States it is moved to Sunday, 28 May, and the Sunday Mass is the one owed.

  3. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    Obligatory

  4. All Saints

    Obligatory

  5. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    Obligatory

    The patronal feast of the United States.

  6. The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

    Obligatory

    Christmas binds on any day. With the Sunday before it, that is two obligations, and one Mass does not satisfy both.

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How the dates are reckoned

  • Six holy days are kept in the United States: Mary, Mother of God (1 January); the Ascension; the Assumption (15 August); All Saints (1 November); the Immaculate Conception (8 December); and Christmas (25 December).
  • The Saturday and Monday rule. When 1 January, 15 August or 1 November falls on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted. The feast is still celebrated, and Mass is still encouraged.
  • Christmas and the Immaculate Conception bind on whatever day they fall. When Christmas falls on a Saturday or a Monday, it and the Sunday beside it are two obligations.
  • The Ascension is kept on Thursday, forty days after Easter, in the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha and Philadelphia. Everywhere else in the country it is moved to the following Sunday.
  • A holy day on a Sunday is satisfied by the Sunday Mass. When 8 December is a Sunday, the 1969 calendar moves the Immaculate Conception to Monday, and the obligation does not move with it.
  • Elsewhere in the universal Church the law names ten holy days. In the United States the Epiphany and Corpus Christi are moved to Sunday, and St Joseph (19 March) and Sts Peter and Paul (29 June) are not days of obligation. Readers outside the United States should consult the norms of their own conference of bishops.

Where a bishop dispenses from an obligation in his own diocese — for weather, or for a grave local reason — his decision governs. When in doubt, ask your parish.

Sources

Code of Canon Law, can. 1246–1248.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, general decree on holy days of obligation (1991, confirmed 1992).

Related Reading

The Sacred Calendar — every feast, season and colour of the year.
The Precepts of the Church — the first of which is Mass on Sundays and holy days.