This page contains listing of feasts alphabetically by category that are celebrated in the current Roman Catholic Liturgical Cycle. There is a brief description for each Feast Day. To return to the document that brought you to this page click on the Back button on your browser.

Feasts of Jesus

Ascension of the Lord - Feast (40 Days after Easter)

This feasts represent the Lord Ascension into Heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father until the end of the world. However, we know that he has not abandoned us, because ten days later on what we now celebrate as the Feast of Pentecost he sent His Holy Spirit. The Gospel of Luke as the following passage on the Ascension.

 

Luke 24:50-54 - Then he led them (out) as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.

 

Annunciation of the Lord - Feast (March 25)

The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary who was to become the Mother of God and said " Rejoice, O highly favored daughter! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. Do not fear, Mary. You have found favor with God. You shall conceive and bear a son and give him the name Jesus. Great will be his dignity and He will be called the Son of the Most High."

 

Baptism of the Lord - Feast (Sunday after Epiphany)

All 3 of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) contain the story of Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. Each of the three Gospel accounts ends with "And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'" In each of the Gospels this is immediately prior to Jesus 40 days and nights of temptation in the desert. You can find these verses starting at Matthew 3:13, Mark 1:9 and Luke 3:21.

 

Birth of the Lord (Christmas) - Feast (December 25)

The celebration Birth of the Lord did not come into being until around the 4th century. It was the Christianization of the pagan feast Sol Invictus, which means "Invincible Sun." The pagan feast began to be celebrated in Rome under the Emperor Aurelius in 274 A.D. The Gospel according to Matthew (1:18-25) and Luke (2:1-14) are the only two Gospels to include a section on the Birth of Jesus. Luke's version is the story most often acted by children in plays.

 

Epiphany - Feast (Sunday between January 2 & January 8)

For the Greeks the word "Epiphany" was used to describe the manifestation of a god among humans. The Greek Fathers of the Church used it for the Incarnation of the Son of God. The Magi visiting the Christ child is said to have taken place on this day. The significance of them coming to see Christ is that three wealthy, earthly kings were paying homage to the one true King of kings.

 

Holy Cross - Feast (September 14)

While there is not a lot of information about this feast we do know that it actually celebrates two different events. First, is the discovery of the Lord's cross by the empress, St. Helena, in approximately 320 A.D. The other is the dedication of the Constantinian basilicas at the sites of the Holy Sepulcher and of Calvary in 335 A.D. St. Helena's feast day is August 18th but, is not celebrated as part of the Liturgical Calendar.

 

Presentation of the Lord - Feast (February 2)

This feast was originally celebrated in Jerusalem beginning about the 4th century A.D. In the 5th century it began to be celebrated in Rome. In Greek it is known as the "Feast of the Meeting". It is also known as Candlemas Day because it is the day that the Church traditionally blesses candles.

 

The Gospel reading for this day is from Luke chapter 2 and includes the Canticle of Simeon in versus 29-32. This canticle is said as part of Night Prayer (Compline) every night in the Liturgy of the Hours.

 

Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:

My own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel

 

Sacred Heart of Jesus - Friday after Corpus Christi

In approving the devotion to the Sacred Heart, the Church did not trust to the visions of St. Margaret Mary; she made abstraction of these and examined the worship in itself. Margaret Mary's visions could be false, but the devotion would not, on that account, be any less worthy or solid. However, the fact is that the devotion was propagated chiefly under the influence of the movement started at Paray-le-Monial; and prior to her beatification, Margaret Mary's visions were most critically examined by the Church, whose judgment in such cases does not involve her infallibility but implies only a human certainty sufficient to warrant consequent speech and action.

 

The Heart of Jesus, like all else that belongs to His Person, is worthy of adoration, but this would not be so if It were considered as isolated from this Person and as having no connection with It. But it not thus that the Heart is considered, and, in his Bull "Auctorem fidei", 1794, Pius VI authoritatively vindicated the devotion in this respect against the calumnies of the Jansenists. The worship, although paid to the Heart of Jesus, extends further than the Heart of flesh, being directed to the love of which this Heart is the living and expressive symbol. On this point the devotion requires no justification, as it is to the Person of Jesus that it is directed; but to the Person as inseparable from His Divinity. Jesus, the living apparition of the goodness of God and of His paternal love, Jesus infinitely loving and amiable, studied in the principal manifestations of His love, is the object of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, as indeed He is the object of the Christian religion. The difficulty lies in the union of the heart and love, in the relation which the devotion supposes between the one and the other. Is not this an error long since discarded? If so, it remains to examine whether the devotion, considered in this respect, is well founded.

 

The Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright © 1913 by the Encyclopedia Press, Inc.

 

Transfiguration of the Lord - Feast (August 6)

The feast of the Transfiguration is based in part on this Gospel account from Luke 9:27-32.

 

"Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God. About eight days after he said this, he took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him."

Feasts of Mary

Assumption of Mary into Heaven - Feast (August 15)

This uninterrupted tradition of the Church dates back to 549 A.D. as witnessed by Gregory of Tours and other Fathers of the Church. According to private revelations by St. Bridget and recent archeological findings, Ephesus is the most likely place where Mary died. In 1946 Pope Pius XII received an affirmative response from all the bishops and promulgated the dogma of Mary's assumption on November 1, 1950.

 

Blessed Virgin Mary

Since the Middle Ages Saturday has been observed as the commemoration of Mary when no other obligatory commemoration is scheduled. Mary the Mother of Jesus has four infallible teachings declared about herself. First, that Mary is Ever Virgin. Second, in 431 A.D. at the Council of Ephesus, the primary title of Mary as Mother of God (Theotokos) was sanctioned. Third, on December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the Immaculate Conception as part of the Deposit of Faith. Finally, on November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption as part of the Deposit of Faith.

 

Birth of Mary - Feast (September 8)

This feast is connected with the basilica constructed in the fifth century on the site of the pool at Bethesda. This is the supposed home of Ann and Joachim and where the basilica of St. Ann stands today. The feast was introduced by Pope Sergius I around 701. There are apocryphal accounts of Mary's birth, such as the gospel of pseudo-Matthew and another by St. Jerome. This feast opens the liturgical year in the East and was celebrated with an octave by Pope Innocent IV (1243) and with a vigil under Pope Gregory XI (1378).

 

Immaculate Conception - Feast (December 8)

This feast which is given the Rank of Solemnity in the liturgical calendar has been celebrated since the seventh century. It is the celebration of the conception of Mary, the Mother of God, by St. Anne. Pope Clement XI in 1708, in his bull, Commissi Nobis, established the feast as a Solemnity for the entire Church.

 

The Immaculate Conception is one of the four Marian Dogmas and states that Mary was born without the stain of original sin. It was proclaimed as infallible teaching by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854. In 1858 Our Lady appeared Bernadette Soubirous eighteen times and identified herself as the "Immaculate Conception."

 

Immaculate Heart of Mary - Saturday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The feast springs from contemporary piety but has its roots in the Marian apostolate of St. John Eudes (1680), and outstanding apostle of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. After repeated requests and repeated refusals between 1669 and 1729, on December 8, 1942, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima, Pope Pius XII dedicated the Church and the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He placed the feast on August 22 and extended it to the entire Latin Church. It has now been moved closer to the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus always falling on the Saturday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

 

Presentation of Mary - Feast (November 21)

This feast finds its origins as early as the second century according to apocryphal source, the Protoevangelium or the book of James. This feast was already commemorated in the East by the sixth century. Pope Gregory XI heard of this feast being kept in Greece in 1372 and introduced it at Avigon. In 1585 Pope Sixtus extended to the universal Church.

 

In addition to celebrating the presentation of Mary in the temple, suspected to occur when she was 3 years old; this feast also commemorates the dedication of the basilica of St. Mary the New in Jerusalem. The basilica was built near the site of the Temple.

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Feast (December 12)

This feast recalls the apparitions of Mary at the hill of Tepayac on December 9-12, 1531 to Blessed Juan Diego. Our Lady had Juan pick some flowers, that would not have been growing in that area during the time of the year, as proof that she was appearing to him. She had him take them back to the bishop to show him. When Juan arrived and opened up his coat the flowers drop to the floor and there was the image of the Blessed Mother on his shirt.

 

This is known to the Aztecs as Tecoataxope or de Guadalupe in Spanish. This translates to "she will crush the serpent of the stone." Under the title Our Lady of Guadalupe she is the Patron Saint of the Americas as declared by Pope Pius XII.

 

Our Lady of Lourdes - Feast (February 11)

This feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to St. Bernadette in 1858 in Lourdes, France. A spring that came from the dry ground as one of the proofs to the people that Mary was appearing. Mary appeared eighteen time between February 11 and July 16, 1858. The other was when Mary said to Bernadette, on March 25, 1858, "I am the Immaculate Conception"

 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Feast (July 16)

Mount Carmel plays an important role in the Book of Kings See 1 Kings 18:19-21. In the twelfth century a group of hermits went to dwell at Mount Carmel in Galilee and founded the contemplative "Order of Carmelites" under the patronage of Mary.

 

On July 16,1251, at Aylesford in Kent, England, according to tradition, Our Lady appeared to Saint Simon Stock, a Carmelite, and made the Scapular the sign of her protection. With it came the promise that whoever wore her "habit" devoutly would be assured of eternal salvation. This is the Scapular promise of final perseverance. Free Scapulars can be obtained by visiting the Carmelite home page and clicking on the Brown Scapular option.

 

Our Lady of the Rosary - Feast (October 7)

This feast was instituted by Saint Pius V on the anniversary of the naval victory won by the Christian fleet at Lepanto. The victory was attributed to the holy Mother of God whose aid was invoked through the praying of the Rosary. The celebration of this day invites all to meditate upon the mysteries of Christ, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was so singularly associated with the incarnation, passion and glorious resurrection of the Son of God.

 

Our Lady of Sorrows - Feast (September 15)

This feast dates back to the twelfth century. It was especially promoted by the Cistercians and the Servites, so much so that in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth centuries it was widely celebrated throughout the Catholic church. In 1482 the feast was added to the Missal under the title of "Our Lady of Compassion." Pope Benedict XIII added it to Roman Calendar in 1727 on the Friday before Palm Sunday. In 1913 Pope Pius X fixed the date on September 15. The title "Our Lady of Sorrows" focuses on Mary's intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. "The Seven Dolors", the title by which it was celebrated in the 17th century, referred to the seven swords that pierced the Heart of Mary.

 

Queenship of the Virgin Mary - Feast (August 22)

This feast was instituted on May 31, 1955 by Pope Pius XII when he issued the encyclical "Ad coeli Reginam". This feast had actually been proposed five times prior to Pius XII action. It was moved to the Octave of Mary's Assumption into Heaven to link it with her glorification as stated in Lumen Gentium

 

"The Immaculate Virgin . . . was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords (Rv 19:16) and conqueror of sin and death"

General Feasts

All Saints - Feast (November 1)

This feast originated in the fourth century as the Eastern Feast of all Martyrs and was attested to by St. Ephrem. In 835 A.D., Pope Gregory IV established the commemoration for all Roman Churches. It was celebrated on Easter Friday and eventually came to be held in Rome on May 13th. The feast was transferred to November 1st in the ninth century where it countered the Celtic pagan feast of the Druids in Ireland.

 

All Souls - Feast (November 2)

The earliest reference to praying for the dead actually comes from the Bible in 2 Maccabees, chapter 12, verses 43-46.

 

He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.

 

However, it is not until 998 A.D. that All Souls was formally moved to November 2nd by St. Odilo. There are actually two names for the day "All Souls Day" and "The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed". The influence of the monks of St. Cluny in the 11th century caused its spread. However, it was not until the 14th century that it began to be celebrated in Rome. Pope Benedict XIV in 1748 A.D. brought the custom of allowing three Masses to be said on that day. Finally in 1915 A.D. Pope Benedict further extended the privilege of saying three Masses to the whole Western church.

 

Chair of Peter, Apostle - Feast (February 22)

There seems to be a lot of discrepancy in how this feast actually started and why. The intent of the feast today is to celebrate the primacy and authority of Peter and his office. The chair was secured in Bernini's magnificent "Altar of the Chair" at St. Peter Basilica in the 17th century.

 

First Martyrs of the Church of Rome - Feast (June 30)

In 64 A.D. an intentionally set fire killed a large number of Christians. During the reign of Nero the number of Christians to be martyred continued to grow. We know from Tacitus that the Christians were thrown to wild animals and burned at the stake as human torches. St. Jerome list 979 martyrs in his Martyrology. The feast began to be celebrated in Rome in 1923 and universally in 1969.

 

Guardian Angels - Feast (October 2)

This feast, kept in Spain since the 16th century, was extended to the whole Church by Pope Paul V in 1608. It was assigned to the first free day after the feast of St. Michael by Pope Clement X in 1670. Guardian Angels are God's messengers whose mission is to serve the future heirs of salvation. It is generally thought that in addition to each individual having their own guardian angel that kingdoms, provinces, families, dioceses, churches, and religious communities each have one.

 

Holy Family - Feast (Sunday in the Octave of Christmas or December 30)

This feast was developed in the 17th century. It is based on the Gospel accounts. This family is looked upon as an excellent domestic unit representing the ideal family life. This feast was established in the Universal Church in 1921. The Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on the Sunday in the Octave of Christmas or on December 30 if Christmas falls on Sunday.

 

Holy Innocents - Feast (December 28)

This feasts honors those infant martyrs slain by Herod. It is impossible to determine the day or the year of the death of the Holy Innocents, since the chronology of the birth of Christ and the subsequent Biblical events is most uncertain. All we know is that the infants were slaughtered within two years following the apparition of the star to the Wise Men. The Latin Church instituted the feast of the Holy Innocents at a date now unknown, not before the end of the fourth and not later than the end of the fifth century. It is, with the feasts of St. Stephen and St. John, first found in the Leonine Sacramentary, dating from about 485. To the Philocalian Calendar of 354 it is unknown.

 

Conversion of Paul - Feast (January 25)

This feast originated in France at the end of the sixth century, when some relics of the apostle were transferred there. It was not celebrated in Rome until the eleventh century, perhaps in connection with the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, celebrated in France on January 18. The importance of the conversion of the "Apostle to the Gentiles" is evident from the three accounts given in the Acts of the Apostles (9:1-30; 22:3-21; 26:9-20).

 

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome - Feast (November 9)

The land on which the Basilica is built was donated by the Laterani family to Pope Sylvester I in 324 A.D. The Basilica is the episcopal seat of the pope as bishop of Rome and is considered to be the mother and head of all churches in the world. The Emperor Constantine built the Basilica in the 12th century many years after the acquisition of the land. The Lateran Basilica was the site of 5 ecumenical councils and the resident of the pope from the 4th century until their move Avignon in 1309 A.D. It is dedicated to the Savior and to John the Baptist.

 

Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major - Feast (August 5)

This feast was instituted by Pope Sixtus III on August 5th as a local feast in 5th century. The feast became a universal feast in the fourteenth century. Legend has it that the Blessed Mother appeared in a vision asking for the construction of this church and the snow that fell on the ground between August 5th and 6th outlined where the church was to be located. Hence the title Our Lady of the Snows. Pope Liberius dedicated the church in 366 A.D. The feast was officially added to the Roman Calendar in 1586.

 

Dedication of the Basilicas of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome - Feast (November 18)

This feast as been commemorated on November 18th since the eleventh century. Constantine built the first basilica over the tomb of St. Peter around 330 A.D. On November 18, 1626 the current basilica was consecrated.

 

St. Paul's on the Via Ostiense was begun by Valentinian II in 386 A.D. This basilica took the place of the smaller one built by Constantine. The basilica built by Valentinian II was destroyed by fire in 1823. The new basilica was consecrated December 10, 1854 by Pope Pius IX who joined the celebration of these two basilicas together.

 

Both original basilicas were completed by Pope Sylvester and Siricius in the fourth century. These basilicas are two of the four major basilicas in Rome which include the basilica of St. John Lateran who dedication is celebrated on November 9th and the basilica of St. Mary Major whose dedication is celebrated on August 5th.