Solemnity

A solemnity is the highest ranking feast day in the liturgical calendar of the Latin Church, commemorating an event in the life of Jesus, his mother Mary, or another important saint. The observance begins with the vigil on the evening before the actual date of the feast. Unlike feast days of the rank of feast or memorial, solemnities replace the celebration of Sundays outside of Advent, Lent and Easter.[1]

The word comes from Latin sollemnitas, derived from sollus (whole) and annus (year), indicating an annual celebration.[2]

Ranking

Apart from the solemnities of Nativity of the Lord, the Epiphany, the Ascension, and Pentecost, which are outranked only by the Paschal Triduum, solemnities give way only to the following celebrations:

The Paschal Triduum
Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter
Ash Wednesday
Weekdays of Holy Week up to and including Thursday
Days within the Octave of Easter)

In addition, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed has precedence over proper solemnities, but not over solemnities inscribed in the General Roman Calendar.[1]

With the exceptions noted in the table below, a solemnity that falls on the same day as a celebration of higher rank is transferred to the next day not of higher rank.[3]

Solemnities thus outrank and replace Sundays in Ordinary Time.

List and dates

The solemnities inscribed in the General Roman Calendar and which are therefore observed throughout the Latin Church are indicated in the following list.

Date Solemnity Notes about date
1 January Mary, Mother of God Octave of Christmas, Circumcision of the Lord, New Year's Day
6 January Epiphany of the Lord If not a holy day of obligation, transferred to the Sunday between 2 January and 8 January inclusive
19 March Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary If the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, where observed as a holy day of obligation, coincides with Palm Sunday, it is, by exception to the general rule, anticipated to Saturday 18 March; where not observed as a holy day of obligation, the episcopal conference may transfer it to a date outside of Lent.[4]
25 March Annunciation of the Lord If the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord falls on any day of Holy Week, it is always transferred to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter (30 March to 9 April).[3]
(22 March to 25 April) Resurrection of the Lord (Easter) Concludes the Paschal Triduum that commemorates also the last supper, passion, death, burial and resurrection of Christ. See Computus for date computation. Begins Octave of Easter, eight consecutive days celebrated as one continuous solemnity, ending 29 March to 2 May).
Thursday after the Sixth Sunday of Easter (40th day of Eastertide - 30 April to 3 June) Ascension of the Lord If not a holy day of obligation, transferred to replace the Seventh Sunday of Easter (3 May to 6 June)
50th day of Eastertide (10 May to 13 June) Pentecost (Whitsunday); always on a Sunday
Sunday after Pentecost (17 May to 20 June) Trinity Sunday
Thursday after Trinity Sunday (21 May to 24 June) Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ "Corpus Christi"; in some dioceses, celebrated on the following Sunday (24 May to 27 June).
Friday (8 days after Corpus Christi Thursday, 5 days after Corpus Christi Sunday) (29 May to 2 July) Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
24 June Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
29 June Saints Peter and Paul
15 August Assumption of Mary
1 November All Saints
Last Sunday before Advent (20–26 November) Our Lord Jesus Christ the King of the Universe Replaces 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time
8 December Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
25 December Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

Proper solemnities

There are also solemnities not inscribed in the General Roman Calendar, which are observed in particular places, regions, churches or religious institutes. The feast of Saint Patrick on 17 March is a solemnity in Ireland, the feast of Saint Josemaría Escrivá on 26 June is a solemnity within the prelature of Opus Dei, and the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on 16 July is a solemnity for the Carmelites.

The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar indicates the proper solemnities as follows:

The solemnity of the principal patron of the place, city or state
The solemnity of the dedication and of the anniversary of dedication of one's own church
The solemnity of the title of one's own church
The solemnity either of the title, or of the founder, or of the principal patron of a religious institute[1]

Observance

The Creed is recited at Mass, and there are two scriptural readings, not one, before the Gospel.

Some but not all solemnities are also holy days of obligation, on which, as on Sundays, Catholics are required to attend Mass and to avoid work and business that hinder divine worship or suitable relaxation of mind and body.[5] All holy days of obligation have the rank of solemnity at least at local level, though not necessarily holding that rank in the General Roman Calendar. With the exception of the solemnity of the birth of John the Baptist, all the solemnities inscribed in the General Roman Calendar are mentioned as holy days of obligation in canon 1246 of the Code of Canon Law, but are not necessarily all observed in a particular country.

When a solemnity falls on a Friday, the obligation to abstain from meat or some other food as determined by the episcopal conference does not apply.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 59
  2. ^ Lewis and Short, sollemnis
  3. ^ a b Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 60
  4. ^ Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 56
  5. ^ Code of Canon Law, canon 1247
  6. ^ Code of Canon Law, canon 1251

External links