Liturgical Calendar – begins – Month of November on 1st Sunday of Advent up to

Solemnity of Christ the King. Follows a 3 year cycle

A cycle – Gospel of Matthew

B cycle – Gospel of Mark
C cycle – Gospel of Luke

Gospel of John proclaimed on particular Sundays of the years

Lectionary – mass readings from the Holy Bible, follows Sunday and weekday cycle.

Each cycle of Liturgical Calendar has 6 Seasons – Advent, Christmas, Lent, Triduum,
Easter, Ordinary Time

Aside from Sunday worship, the church celebrates Solemnities, Feasts & Memorials.

Advent – includes 4 Sundays before Christmas, usually starts on Nov 30 or Sunday

closest to date. It marks the beginning of Liturgical calendar, Advent ends on Dec 24
before evening prayer for Christmas

Christmas – Dec 25 – Catholics give thanks to God for the birth of Jesus. Lasts 12 days
beginning on Dec 24, Christmas Eve until Feast of Ephphany

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – Jan 1 – Feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a
celebration of Mary’s motherhood of Jesus.

Epiphany – celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus. The
feast commemorates visit of Magi to child Christ and Jesus’ physical manifestation to
Gentiles.

Baptism of the Lord – commemorates baptism of Jesus in Jordan River by John the
Baptist. The feast marks the end of Liturgical season of Christmas. Ordinary time begins
the following day.

Lent – 40 day Liturgical season that initiates the most sacred part of Christian year.
Begins with Ash Wednesday – covers 6 Sundays and ends at Mass of the Lord Supper
on evening of Holy Thursday. During Lent, catholics are called to medicate with awe and
thanksgiving on the Paschal mystery – the salvation God offers to sinners through the
suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Lent is a highlight in Catholic calendar.

Ash Wednesday – 1st day of Lent, occurs 40 days before Easter, usually falls on Feb 4
to March 10. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in
the dessert where he endured temptation of Satan.
Palm Sunday – celebrated on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates
Jesus triumph entry into Jerusalem, mentioned in all 4 gospels. Palm Sunday includes a
procession of parishioners carrying palms, representing the palm branches the crowd
scattered in front of Jesus as he rode to Jerusalem.

Triduum – latin word for “Great 3 Days” – recalls the events of the First Holy Thursday,
Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Holy Thursday – Thursday before Easter, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus
Christ with Apostles. The liturgy held on the evening of Holy Thursday begins the
Easter Triduum, period which commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of
Christ, includes Good Friday and Holy Saturday and ends on evening of Easter.

Good Friday – commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death in Calvary.

Holy Saturday – commemorates the day that Jesus’ body lay in the tomb. The Blessed
Virgin Mary, our Lady of Sorrows, was assigned the title “Our Lady of Solitude” referring
to her solace and grief at the death of Jesus.

Easter – greatest feast of Liturgical Year, the climax and center of Catholic Liturgical
Calendar. Celebrates glorious resurrection of Jesus at the masses. Easter season
begins with celebration of Easter Vigil on Easter Sundays and ends 50 days with
Pentecost Sunday.

Ascension of the Lord – occurs 40 days after Jesus rose from dead on Easter.
Celebrates the resurrected Jesus being taken up to Heaven in his resurrected body in the
presence of his 11 apostles.

Pentecost – held on 7th Sunday after Easter, celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on
Jesus’ disciples after his ascension. It is sometimes described as the “Birthday of the
Church”.

Trinity Sunday – Sunday after Pentecost, celebrates the doctrine of the Trinity – the 3
persons of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Ordinary Time – begins with Monday after the Baptism of Jesus. It ends on Tuesday
before Ash Wednesday. During this time, all Sundays are numbered consecutively, and
the Liturgical Word is devoted to mysteries surrounding the life of Christ.

Annunciation of the Lord – March 25, nine months before Christmas – celebrates the
announcement by angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become
the mother of Jesus.
Corpus Christi Sunday – latin for Body of Christ, also known as Corpus Domini,
celebrates tradition and belief in the body and blood of Christ and his real presence
in the Eucharist.

Sacred Heart of Jesus – celebrates Jesus’ physical heart as the representation of his
divine love for humanity. Devotion goes back to 11th century and is one of the most widely
practiced and well known Roman Catholic devotions.

Transfiguration of the Lord – Aug 6 – The feast that commemorates the transfiguration
of Jesus on Mount Tabor, before Apostles Peter, James and John.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Aug 15 – commemorate the death of Mary
and her bodily assumption to heaven. It signifies Mary’s passing into eternal life. The
most important of all Marian feast and a holy day of obligation.

All Saints’ Day – Nov 1 – in honor of all saints, known and unknown. Liturgical
celebration begins at Vespers, evening of Oct 31 and ends on Nov 1. Commemorates
those who have attained beatific vision in heaven.

All Souls Day – Nov 2 – a day for the dead of relatives. Celebrated is associated with
doctrine that souls of the faithful who at death have not been cleansed from temporal
punishment due to venial sins and from mortal sins cannot immediately attain the beatific
vision heaven and may be helped by prayer and sacrifice of mass.

Christ the King – Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King – final Sunday of ordinary
time, Sunday before Advent, celebrates all embracing authority of Christ as king and Lord
of Cosmos. Recent addition of Pope Pius XI.

Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary – Dec 8 – celebrates Mary’s conception without

sin. Celebrated 9 months before the feast of birth of Mary – Sept 8. One of the most
important Marian feast celebrated

Holy Family – Sunday after Christmas - celebrates human family unit, it honors Jesus,
Mary and Joseph as the ultimate family unit. Primary purpose of feast is to present Holy
Family as a model for Christian families.

St. Joseph, the worker – May 1 – honors the foster father of Jesus, Joseph, patron saint
of fathers, families, workers and church. His main celebration falls on March 19