DISCIPLINE
Holy Days of Obligation
Strong source match. The Church’s teaching stands on its own authority. This meter only grades how faithfully Catholic Context restates the cited source.
Summary
Sunday must be observed in the universal Church as the primordial holy day of obligation. The following days must also be observed: the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension, the Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter and Saint Paul the Apostles, and All Saints. With prior approval of the Apostolic See, the conference of bishops can suppress some of these holy days or transfer them to a Sunday. On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass and to abstain from works and affairs which hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or suitable rest of mind and body.
The universal list and Mass obligation are set in canon law and the Catechism. Which particular holy days bind in a given country may be modified by the conference of bishops with prior approval of the Apostolic See (can. 1246 §2).
Sources
CIC, can. 1246
Universal holy days of obligation and authority of episcopal conferences to suppress or transfer days with Apostolic See approval.
CIC, can. 1247
Obligation to participate in Mass and to rest from work that hinders worship.
CCC 2177
Catechetical restatement of Sunday as foremost holy day and the universal list.
CCC 2180
Catechetical restatement of the Mass obligation on Sundays and holy days.
CCC 2042
First precept of the Church: attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
Understanding the Teaching
Universal discipline entry. For a particular country or diocese, consult the local conference of bishops’ norms implementing can. 1246 §2. Catholic Context paraphrase of official sources; the Church’s law stands on its own authority.
Related Context
Source fidelity
Strong source match. The Church’s teaching stands on its own authority. This meter only grades how faithfully Catholic Context restates the cited source.
Summary closely tracks CIC can. 1246 §§1–2 and can. 1247, with parallel catechetical statements in CCC 2177 and 2180, and uses official Vatican / Catechism locators. Theological review remains flagged for Catholic Context’s discipline taxonomy label and for pastoral presentation of local conference norms.
- Local episcopal-conference calendars (e.g., United States observances) are not enumerated in this universal entry
Provenance
- Review state
- DRAFT — THEOLOGICAL REVIEW PENDING
- Reviewer
- Not yet assigned
- Review date
- Pending
- Canonical file
- context/discipline/holy-days-of-obligation.yaml ↗
- Revision history
- View on GitHub ↗