Rachel Evans
The Catholic Church's liturgical calendar is a complex and carefully organized system that guides the Church's celebrations and commemorations throughout the year. The calendar combines two cycles of liturgical celebrations: the Proper of Time (or Temporale) and the Proper of Saints (or Sanctorale). The Proper of Time is associated with the moveable date of Easter and the fixed date of Christmas, while the Proper of Saints commemorates the birthdays of saints, with some celebrations being fixed and others moveable. The calendar also includes solemnities, feasts, and memorials, each with its own degree of importance and ritual elements. The liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent, emphasizing the uniqueness of the Lord's Day as the original feast day. The calendar is not static and has undergone revisions over the years, with the last major revision in 2002. It is a dynamic and integral part of Catholic tradition and worship, shaping the rhythm of the Church's year.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Liturgical year cycle | Seasonal cycle (Proper of Time) and Sanctoral cycle (Proper of Saints) |
| Liturgical year beginning | First Sunday of Advent |
| Lord's Day | Sunday |
| Feast days | Solemnity, Feast, Memorial |
| Feast days celebration | Begins on the previous evening (for Sundays and Solemnities); one day (for Feasts and Memorials) |
| Lent | Begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts until Holy Saturday (Saturday before Easter); 40 days plus 6 Sundays (46 days in total) |
| Liturgical color of Lent | Violet or purple; rose on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday during Lent); red on Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) and Good Friday |
| Christmas season | Begins on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and lasts until Epiphany; includes time from Epiphany to the Baptism of the Lord |
| Liturgical color of Christmas | White |
| Easter season | Begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until Pentecost; 50 days in total |
| Liturgical colors of Easter | White (most days) and red (Pentecost) |
| Ordinary Time | Begins after Pentecost and runs until Saturday before Advent; the longest liturgical season |
| Liturgical color of Ordinary Time | Green |
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What You'll Learn
The liturgical year
The Christmas season begins with Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of Jesus. It lasts 12 days until Epiphany, and traditionally, Epiphany was fixed on January 6th, with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord celebrated on the octave of Epiphany (January 13th). However, in most countries, Epiphany is now celebrated on the Sunday closest to January 6th. The Christmas season is a time of rejoicing in the Incarnation, and its liturgical colour is white.
The Easter season begins with the Easter Vigil on the evening before Easter Sunday and is a joyous, celebratory time. It starts with commemorating Christ's resurrection and concludes with celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers. The liturgical colours of Easter are primarily white, with red for Pentecost. After Pentecost, Ordinary Time resumes, denoted by the liturgical colour green, although other colours may be used on particular feast days.
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Saints' birthdays
The Catholic Church celebrates the lives of saints throughout the year via the General Roman Calendar, also known as the calendar of saints. This calendar organises the liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints, referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context means "an annual religious celebration, a day dedicated to a particular saint".
The calendar of saints arose from the early Christian custom of commemorating each martyr annually on the date of their death or their "birth into heaven", referred to in Latin as the martyr's dies natalis ('day of birth'). As different Christian jurisdictions separated theologically, differing lists of saints began to develop.
In the Catholic Church, feast days are ranked in accordance with their importance. In the post-Vatican II form of the Roman Rite, feast days are ranked (in descending order of importance) as solemnities, feasts, or memorials (obligatory or optional).
Some Christians continue the tradition of dating by saints' days, for example, referring to a date as "The Feast of Saint Martin". The Catholic saints celebrated on each day of the year can be found in the General Roman Liturgical Calendar.
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Solemnities, feasts, memorials
The Catholic liturgical year consists of a seasonal cycle and a sanctoral cycle, known as the Proper of Time and the Proper of Saints, respectively. The liturgical calendar includes celebrations of the mystery of salvation and the birthdays of saints, with observances specific to local churches. The liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent, which falls within the preceding calendar year.
The Catholic Church celebrates the following categories of events: solemnities, feasts, and memorials. Sundays and solemnities begin their celebration on the evening before, while feasts and memorials are observed over one day. Solemnities are the most important celebrations in the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar. They commemorate the most significant events in the life of Jesus Christ, such as Easter and Christmas, as well as the birthdays of important saints.
Feasts are days dedicated to celebrating specific events in the life of Jesus or the lives of saints. They are less significant than solemnities but are still important days of celebration in the Church. The feast of Christmas, for example, lasts 12 days, from Christmas Day until Epiphany. The liturgical colour of Christmas is white. The Easter Vigil is celebrated after nightfall on the evening before Easter Sunday, marking the beginning of the Easter season, a 50-day period of celebration.
Memorials, on the other hand, are days dedicated to remembering and honouring the saints. They are less solemn than feasts and solemnities but are still important days of observance in the Church. An example of a memorial is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a penitential season recalling the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert and the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert. Ordinary Time, which is not a season of penance, follows Pentecost and continues until the Saturday before Advent. Its liturgical colour is green, although other colours may be used on feast days.
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Proper of Time/Temporale
The Proper of Time, also known as the Temporale, is one of the two main cycles that make up the liturgical year in Roman Catholicism, as defined by the General Roman Calendar. The other cycle is the Proper of Saints, or Sanctorale. The Proper of Time consists of the moveable feasts, most of which are keyed to Easter, which falls on a different Sunday each year. This includes feasts such as Ascension and Pentecost (Whitsun). The cycle also includes celebrations related to the date of Easter, such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Proper of Time is associated with the moveable date of Easter and the fixed date of Christmas. The liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent in the preceding calendar year. For example, the First Sunday of Advent in 2019 began the 2020 liturgical year. The Second Vatican Council emphasised the importance of Sunday as a unique liturgical category, stating that it "must be observed in the universal Church as the primordial holy day of obligation". Therefore, only a limited number of feasts of the Lord or the saints may take the place of the scheduled Sunday celebration.
The General Roman Calendar includes celebrations that belong to the Proper of Time, such as the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in January and the Feast of Christ the King in November. The calendar was first promulgated in 1969 by Pope Saint Paul VI and has been amended over the years, with the last major revision in 2002. The calendar mentions only a limited selection of canonized saints. An instance where two observances occur on the same date is called an "occurrence". In such cases, it is permissible to observe on the Sundays in Ordinary Time those celebrations that fall during the week and have special appeal, provided they take precedence over these Sundays in the Table of Liturgical Days.
The Proper of Time is an essential part of the liturgical year in Roman Catholicism, governing the moveable feasts and celebrations associated with the mystery of Christ and the saving work of the Church. It is a dynamic and flexible aspect of the liturgical calendar, allowing for the integration of new celebrations and observances over time.
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Proper of Saints/Sanctorale
The Catholic Church's liturgical calendar combines two cycles of celebrations: the Proper of Time or Temporale, and the Proper of Saints or Sanctorale. The Proper of Saints is associated with fixed calendar dates, whereas the Proper of Time is associated with the moveable date of Easter and the fixed date of Christmas.
The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The GRC includes celebrations that belong to both the Proper of Time and the Proper of Saints. However, it is not limited to the celebrations that make up the Proper of Saints.
The Proper of Saints, also known as the Sanctorale, is a cycle of liturgical celebrations dedicated to the saints. It is a traditional Christian method of organizing the liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of that saint. The word "feast" in this context refers to an annual religious celebration dedicated to a particular saint, rather than a large meal.
The system of the Proper of Saints arose from the early Christian custom of commemorating each martyr annually on the date of their death or their birth into heaven, known in Latin as the martyr's dies natalis ('day of birth'). As the number of recognized saints increased, eventually, every day of the year had at least one saint associated with it. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, a calendar of saints is called a Menologion.
The saints included in the Proper of Saints are those who have universal significance and are obligatorily celebrated by all members of the Catholic Church. These saints are considered models for every day and age, inspiring believers on their journey of faith. While canonization involves adding a saint's name to the Roman Martyrology, it does not always result in the insertion of their name into the GRC. Only a limited selection of canonized saints is included in the GRC.
The liturgical year begins on the First Sunday of Advent during the preceding calendar year. For example, the First Sunday of Advent in 2019 marked the beginning of the 2020 liturgical year. The organization of each liturgical year is governed by the Church and integrated into a liturgical calendar. Feast days within the Proper of Saints are ranked in order of importance as solemnities, feasts, or memorials (obligatory or optional).
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Frequently asked questions
The Catholic Liturgical Calendar is a calendar that indicates the degree or rank of each celebration: memorial (which can be merely optional), feast, or solemnity. The liturgical year consists of a seasonal cycle and a sanctoral cycle, called the Proper of Time and the Proper of Saints, respectively.
The General Roman Calendar includes celebrations that belong to the Proper of Time or Temporale and is not limited to those that make up the Proper of Saints or Sanctorale. It includes fixed celebrations and some movable ones.
The Catholic Liturgical Calendar is updated whenever the Pope makes changes to the celebrations in the calendar. The last general revision was in 1969.
