Canon Law - Feast Days and Days of Penance

Here is a little information on Moveable Feast Days and Holy Days of Obligation. Also, I have created a list of the remaining Holy Days of Obligation and Moveable Feasts.


Feast Days
Can.  1246 §1. Sunday, on which by apostolic tradition the paschal mystery is celebrated, 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,G, 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.

§2. With the prior approval of the Apostolic See, however, the conference of bishops can suppress some of the holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday.

Can.  1247 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass.

Calendar of the Remaining Holy Days of Obligation and Moveable Feasts 2009

All Saint’s Day, (Sunday, November 1, 2009) Holy Day of Obligation
First Sunday of Advent (Sunday, November 29, 2009)
Feast of Saint Nicholas (Sunday, December 6, 2009)
Second Sunday of Advent (Sunday, December 6, 2009)
Immaculate Conception (Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Holy Day of Obligation
Our Lady of Guadalupe (Saturday, December 12, 2009)
Feast of Saint Lucy (Sunday, December 13, 2009)
Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) (Sunday, December 13, 2009)
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Sunday, December 20, 2009)
Christmas (Friday, December 25, 2009) Holy Day of Obligation

In the Catholic Church, Advent is the both beginning of the liturgical year and a time to spiritually prepare for the arrival of Christ at Christmas. Advent, like Lent is a time of increased prayer, fasting, Confession, and good works. Some Catholics refer to Advent as “Little Lent.” The length of Advent varies from twenty-one to twenty-eight days.


Days of Penance

Can.  1249 The divine law binds all the Christian faithful to do penance each in his or her own way. In order for all to be united among themselves by some common observance of penance, however, penitential days are prescribed on which the Christian faithful devote themselves in a special way to prayer, perform works of piety and charity, and deny themselves by fulfilling their own obligations more faithfully and especially by observing fast and abstinence, according to the norm of the following canons.

Can.  1250 The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

Can.  1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.