Sarah Mitchell
The Catholic liturgical year, also known as the church year, Christian year, ecclesiastical calendar, or kalendar, is a cycle of liturgical days and seasons that dictates when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of scripture are to be read. The liturgical year consists of a seasonal cycle and a sanctoral cycle, called the Proper of Time and the Proper of Saints, respectively. The liturgical year in the Catholic Church sets aside certain days and seasons to commemorate and celebrate various events in the life of Christ.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Celebrate the mystery of Christ and the lives of Mary and the saints |
| Cycle | Seasonal and Sanctoral |
| Calendar | ORDO, an annual calendar with directions for each day's Mass |
| Seasons | Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time (after Epiphany), Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time (after Pentecost) |
| Colours | Purple, Rose, Violet, Red, White, Green |
| Days of Obligation | Feast days, celebrations of saints, birthdays of saints, Annunciation, Transfiguration, Christ the King, Trinity, Baptism of the Lord |
| Texts | Old Testament, New Testament, Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), Synoptic Passion Narratives |
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What You'll Learn
The liturgical year is divided into cycles
The seasonal cycle, or Proper of Time, includes the major seasons of the liturgical year, such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. These seasons are further divided into sub-seasons, each with its own specific focus and liturgical colours. For example, Advent is a season of preparation and anticipation, where the liturgical colours are purple and rose. The Christmas season celebrates the Incarnation, Nativity, and Birth of Jesus Christ, with a season of continued celebration for several weeks afterward. Lent is a penitential season, recalling the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, and the 40 years the Israelites wandered. The Easter season celebrates the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the core event of Christianity, with an intensive eight-day celebration known as the Easter Octave, followed by a full fifty days of continued celebration up to Pentecost.
The sanctoral cycle, or Proper of Saints, includes the feast days of saints, which are celebrated throughout the year. These feasts proclaim the wonderful works of Christ in his servants and offer examples for the faithful to imitate. The Blessed Virgin Mary, in particular, is celebrated alongside the saints, with an inseparable bond to the saving work of her Son.
In addition to these main cycles, there are other liturgical cycles, such as the Daily Cycle, the Weekly Cycle, and the Cycle of Matins Gospels, which further shape the ecclesiastical year and the celebration of divine services. The liturgical year is also flexible, with movable feasts and seasons of varying lengths, ensuring that the Church's calendar is dynamic and responsive to the needs of the faithful.
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The liturgical year begins with Advent
The liturgical year, also called the ecclesiastical calendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical days and seasons that determine when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of scripture are to be read. The liturgical year is organised and published in a liturgical calendar, which is also enriched by observances proper to local churches, whether national or diocesan.
The liturgical year in the Catholic Church begins with Advent, the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The liturgical colour for Advent is violet or purple; blue in some traditions, such as Anglican/Episcopalian, Methodist, and Lutheran. The purple candles of the Advent wreath symbolise prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and good works undertaken at this time. The Advent wreath, a garland of evergreens with four candles, is often used to count down the days to Christmas.
Advent is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ's second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord's birth on Christmas. Scripture readings during Advent tell us not to waste our time with predictions. Our Advent readings call us to be alert and ready, not weighed down and distracted by the cares of this world. The season of Advent lasts until the first vespers of Christmas Eve on 24 December.
The liturgical year is one of the ways the church remembers and celebrates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The prayers and scripture readings of Advent help us to prepare for Christmas, when Christ's first coming is celebrated, and also for Christ's final coming at the end of time.
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The liturgical year ends with Ordinary Time
The liturgical year is a cycle of liturgical days and seasons that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of scripture are to be read. The liturgical year is not about sanctifying time, but about growing in relationship with Jesus Christ. It unfolds the mystery of Christ, calling us to live his mystery in our own lives.
The liturgical year in the Catholic Church begins on the First Sunday of Advent and ends with Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is not a season of dull routine, but a time of conversion and discipleship where we grow into who we are called to be by imitating the lived reality of Jesus. It is a time to deepen our relationship with Christ and understand his teachings, healing, and mission. The gospel readings proclaimed during Ordinary Time reveal the humility, vulnerability, and self-giving love of Christ, who included the excluded and ate with social and religious outcasts.
Ordinary Time falls outside the two great seasons of Christmastide and Eastertide, and their respective preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. It includes the days between Christmastide and Lent, and between Eastertide and Advent. The liturgical color assigned to Ordinary Time is green. The length of Ordinary Time varies depending on the date of the First Sunday of Advent, ranging from 33 to 34 weeks.
The season of Ordinary Time begins on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday and ends on the First Sunday of Advent, which begins the next liturgical year. The last Sunday of Ordinary Time is the Solemnity of Christ the King. During this time, the Church prepares for the coming feast and enters into a period of ordered life, neither feasting nor in severe penance.
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The liturgical year includes feast days
The liturgical year, also known as the church year, consists of a seasonal cycle (Proper of Time) and a sanctoral cycle (Proper of Saints), which are organised into a liturgical calendar. The liturgical year includes feast days, which are determined by the liturgical calendar, along with the seasons in which they are celebrated and the scripture readings associated with them. The liturgical calendar is published by the Church in the ORDO, an annual calendar that provides directions for each day's Mass.
The liturgical year in the Catholic Church begins with the First Sunday of Advent, which falls between November 28th and December 3rd. Advent is a season of waiting and preparing for the coming of Jesus, marked by the liturgical colours purple and rose. It is followed by the Christmas season, which celebrates the Incarnation, Nativity, and Birth of Jesus Christ. The exact length of the Christmas season varies from year to year.
The liturgical year then progresses through Ordinary Time after Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time after Pentecost. The Season of Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday, is a penitential season that recalls the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert and the 40 years the Israelites wandered. It focuses on the events leading up to Christ's passion and culminates in the celebration of Easter, which commemorates the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Easter Octave extends the celebration for eight days, from Easter Sunday to the second Sunday of Easter, now known as Divine Mercy Sunday. The Easter Season continues for a total of fifty days until Pentecost Sunday, which celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the first disciples.
The liturgical year ends with the final Saturday of Ordinary Time, which can last up to 34 weeks depending on the variable date of Pentecost. Throughout the liturgical year, the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ and the birthdays of the Saints, with feast days honouring their lives and proclaiming the wonderful works of Christ. The liturgical colours used during these feast days vary, with white traditionally worn for Marian feast days and blue approved in some Spanish countries.
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The liturgical year is celebrated with different colours
The liturgical year, also known as the church year or ecclesiastical calendar, is a cycle of liturgical days and seasons that dictates when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, as well as which portions of scripture are to be read. The liturgical year is divided into seasons, each with its own mood, theological emphases, and modes of prayer. These seasons are signified by different ways of decorating churches, colours of paraments and vestments for clergy, scriptural readings, themes for preaching, and even different traditions and practices often observed personally or in the home.
The liturgical colours are not just decorative but also symbolic, helping to create a specific atmosphere and convey theological meanings. The colour violet, for example, is associated with penance and prayer, while white symbolises purity and joy, and red represents the Holy Spirit and the blood of Christ.
In addition to the colours mentioned above, other liturgical colours used in the Catholic Church include gold, black, and pink. Gold is often used on feast days and during the Christmas season, symbolising joy and celebration. Black is used during funerals and on Good Friday, representing mourning and penance. Pink is a less commonly used colour, reserved for the third Sunday of Advent and Laetare Sunday, symbolising joy and spiritual happiness.
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Frequently asked questions
The Catholic liturgical year, also called the ecclesiastical year or church year, is a cycle of liturgical days and seasons that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of scripture are to be read.
The Catholic liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent and ends with the final Saturday of Ordinary Time. The liturgical calendar year starts in early December or late November and goes through the following November.
The Catholic liturgical year consists of six seasons: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time after Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time after Pentecost.
The liturgical seasons are accompanied by distinct colours. Advent is purple or rose, Christmas is white, Ordinary Time is green, Lent is violet or purple, and Easter is white or red.
Some important feast days in the Catholic liturgical year include the Feast of Christ the King, Easter Octave, Pentecost Sunday, and the Feast of Pentecost.
