Celebrating December 9 as a Holy Day of Opportunity
2024 CELEBRATION of THE SOLEMNITY of the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
This year, the celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception will be observed on December 9. This is a day later than the established feast day of December 8, because in 2024, that date falls on a Sunday, which is the Second Sunday of Advent.
Holy Days of Obligation are feasts of importance in our Church, but we may sometimes get bogged down in the understanding of obligation. When we turn our attention to the celebratory nature of Holy Days, we see every Holy Day is an invitation, an opportunity to come together in the Eucharistic Celebration to consider a particular aspect of the mystery of our salvation.
Six holy days are observed annually in the U.S. Catholic Church. Three of them focus on the Blessed Virgin Mary – marking the Immaculate Conception, celebrating her as the Mother of God and marking her Assumption into heaven. These three together invite us to celebrate the entirely unique holiness of our Blessed Mother.
Typically, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8. This year, December 8 is the Second Sunday of Advent. The Church moves a solemnity that falls on the Sundays in Advent out of deference for our preparation to welcome the Lord on Christmas. So the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is transferred to Monday, December 9.
There has been some confusion this year about the observance of this Holy Day and the obligation to attend Mass. But guidance from the Vatican was only recently shared and many parish calendars were already set for the year.
Therefore, Cardinal Wilton Gregory has granted that all Catholics of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington are dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, as it is observed in 2024 on Monday, December 9. While this dispensation is available, the faithful are encouraged to take advantage of the graces of the holy day, whether by attending Mass or by engaging in other acts of prayer, charity, and Christian witness.
This year, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is truly a feast of opportunity. With the requirement to attend Mass lifted, we can, like our Blessed Mother, freely offer our own “yes” to come together to reflect anew on God’s plan of salvation in our lives.
Read the full text of the Decree from Cardinal Gregory, here.
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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is home to more than 655,000 Catholics, 140 parishes and 90 Catholic schools, located in Washington, D.C., and five Maryland counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s.