ROMAN CATHOLIC LITURGICAL CALENDAR

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ROMAN CATHOLICLITURGICAL CALENDAR
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HOW DETERMINED

• CATHOLIC CALENDAR IS ARRANGED AROUND TWO MAJOR
  FEASTS CHRISTMAS AND EASTER
• ALL SEASONS DATES ARE BASED ON WHAT DAY OF THE
  WEEK CHRISTMAS OCCURS
• AND THE DATE OF EASTER

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(No Transcript)
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BEGINNING FIRST SEASONADVENT

• ADVENT
• season of waiting preparation for Christmas
  during December
• begins 4 SUNDAYS before Christmas (always on
  December 25), so it is a three-four week season.

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HOW TO DETERMINE THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

• Start with Christmas (ex. 2007 Christmas is on
  a Tuesday)
• COUNT BACK TO THE PREVIOUS SUNDAY
• 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT December 23
• 3rd SUNDAY December 16
• 2nd SUNDAY December 9
• 1st SUNDAY beginning of year -- December 2
• Advent is LONGEST if Christmas is on a Sunday
• (it begins November 27)
• Advent is SHORTEST if Christmas is on a Monday
• (it begins December 3)

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IMPORTANT DETAILS ADVENT

• 1 Color for Advent is PURPLE
• Light ONE CANDLE for each week of Advent on the
  Advent wreath
• (three purple candles the rose candle is lit
  on the third week as a sign of celebration since
  Advent is more than half over) the wreath is a
  circle, which represents God/ the eternal
  evergreens are used for the same purpose
• 3 First Readings for the season come from
  ISAIAH description of the Messiah

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CHRISTMAS FIRST FEAST

• Celebrates the birth of Jesus (duh)
• Always occurs on December 25 (this date was set
  because the Roman Empire celebrated the winter
  solstice (birth of the sun), so when the empire
  becomes Christian, it celebrates the birth of
  Jesus on this day)
• One day feast.

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IMPORTANT DETAILS CHRISTMAS

• 1 Color white (and usually GOLD)
• 2 Traditional celebration of Christmas occurred
  at Midnight Mass
• 3 Gospel of LUKE account of birth of Jesus
  (manger shepherds)
• 4 NOTE Santa Claus is NOT associated with
  Christmas, but with St. Nicholas Day (Dec 6)
  moved to Christmas for commercial reasons

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EPIPHANY

• Traditionally January 6 (last day of the 12 days
  of Christmas)
• One day feast
• 1 Color white
• Celebrates the visit of the Magi
• (GOSPEL OF MATTHEW)
• 3 Gift giving day in many cultures (NOT
  Christmas)

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CHRISTMAS SEASON

• The time after Christmas which continues to
  celebrate the birth of Jesus
• 1-2 weeks (originally 12 days)
• 1 Color white
• 2 Celebration on New Years Day Mary, the
  Mother of God
• 3 Traditionally goes from Christmas to Feast of
  Epiphany

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BAPTISM OF JESUS

• Celebrates the adult baptism of Jesus by John
• Sunday after Epiphany
• One day feast
• 1 Color white
• 2 End of the Christmas season (Ordinary Time
  starts the next day)

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NEXT BIG FEAST IS EASTER

• DETERMINING EASTER
• IT IS THE SUNDAY AFTER THE FIRST FULL MOON AFTER
  THE VERNAL EQUINOX (March 21 Spring) when
  length of darkness light are the same
• EASTER CAN THEREFORE FALL BETWEEN MARCH 22
  APRIL 25

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LENTEN SEASON

• 40 day period of preparation leading up to the
  celebration of Christs passion, death and
  resurrection (actually, 47 days between Ash
  Wednesday and Easter for historical reasons you
  dont need to know)
• Late February March April

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IMPORTANT DETAILS LENT

• 1 Color purple (4th Sunday of Lent the color
  is rose, again to symbolize Joy that Lent is
  more than halfway completed)
• BONUS What are the traditional names for the
  rose Sunday in Advent the rose Sunday in
  Lent ??
• 2 Time of fasting, abstaining from meat
  (Fridays), repentance from sin
• 3 40 days symbolize the 40 days of Jesus in the
  desert (BEFORE he began to preach)

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BEGINS WITH ASH WEDNESDAY

• Celebrates the beginning of Lent
• 1 day feast
• 1 Color purple
• 2 Ashes are a sign of repentence which are placed
  on the forehead in the sign of the cross
• 3 Begins Lent day of fasting abstaining from
  meat (therefore, the day before Ash Wednesday is
  Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras)

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TRIDUUM

• Celebrates the Last Supper death Resurrection
  of Jesus
• the three days from Holy Thursday night through
  Easter -- March or April
• 1 Traditional Holy Thursday celebration of the
  Last Supper with washing of feet
• 2 Traditional Good Friday services from noon3 PM
  
• 3 Traditional Easter Vigil services were the time
  that new Christians were brought into the Church

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EASTER SEASON

• Continues to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus
  Jesus appeared to the apostles for 40 days
  Pentecost happens 10 days later
• 50 days from Easter to Pentecost -- usually
  April May
• 1 Color white
• 2 Traditional time for First Communion
  celebrations
• 3 Readings are usually from the Gospel of John

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FEAST OF THE ASCENSION

• 40 days after Easter usually in May
• 1 day feast
• Celebrates Jesus acsension into heaven (as
  recorded in Acts of the Apostles)
• 1 White
• 2 Traditionally celebrated on Thursday moved to
  Sunday in US Calendar

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PENTECOST

• 50TH DAY after Easter -- May or June
• 1 day feast
• Celebrates the Holy Spirit coming down on the
  apostles
• 1 Red for Holy Spirit
• 2 Apostles are celebrating the Jewish feast of
  Shavuot
• 3 Considered the birthday of the Church

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ORDINARY TIME

• The counted time
• between Christmas Season (Baptism of Jesus) and
  Lent (Ash Wednesday)
• between the Easter Season (Pentecost) and the
  end of the liturgical year (First Sunday of
  Advent for the next year)
• Counted FORWARD from the day after the Baptism of
  Jesus to Ash Wednesday
• Counted BACKWARD from the end of the year back to
  the day after Pentecost

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• Usually, one week is therefore skipped each year
  (it varies, based on when Easter falls)
• 33-34 weeks TOTAL
• 1 Color Green
• 2 Feast of Christ the King is the 34th week of
  Ordinary Time the Sunday before the NEXT
  calendar begins

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CATHOLIC LECTIONARY

• FOUR SETS OF READINGS
• THE SEASONS FEASTS FOR THE YEAR SUNDAY
  READINGS plus MAJOR FEASTS
• WEEKDAY READINGS
• SAINT FEAST DAYS
• SPECIAL OCCASIONS

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SUNDAY READINGS MAJOR FEASTS

• ON A 3 YEAR CYCLE (A,B,C) centered around the
  three SYNOPTIC GOSPELS(MT, MK, LK), though some
  readings are always repeated.
• (2009 is year B)

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• 3 readings for all Sundays and major feasts
• First reading Hebrew Scriptures which ties to
  the Gospel theme (occasionally from Acts of the
  Apostles or Book of Revelations)
• Second reading from Christian Scriptures
  letters.
• From week to week, the readings continue through
  all the letters.
• Only ties to Mass theme if it is a FEAST.
• Gospel reading from the Gospel for that year.
  
• From week to week, the Gospel readings continue
  through that entire Gospel. SPECIAL Gospel
  reading ONLY on feasts or at certain times.

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WEEKDAY READINGS

• On a TWO YEAR CYCLE (Cycle I (odd years) and
  Cycle II (even years)
• Used when there is no particular feast day.
• First reading -- From day to day, the readings
  go through various books of the Bible one at a
  time
• Gospels From day to day, the readings go through
  the Gospels.

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SAINT FEAST DAYS

• Used on particular DATES which celebrate a
  particular feast or event
• I.E. Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on
• OCTOBER 4
• Same readings each year for that particular
  saint, or there are common
• readings which can be used for saints
• based on theme (martyrs, bishops, etc)

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SPECIAL OCCASIONS

• There are also sets of readings for special
  occasions
• sacraments, special events (blessing of a
  house), etc.
• In the BACK of the Lectionary and can be used for
  a variety of purposes

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SACRAMENTARY

• FOR EACH SUNDAY, FEAST DAY, SAINT FEAST, SPECIAL
  OCCASION, THERE IS THE CORRESPONDING SET OF
  PRAYERS IN THE SACRAMENTARY
• THE SACRAMENTARY ALSO HAS ALL OF THE PRAYERS USED
  FOR LITURGY AND THE ENTIRE LITURGICAL RITE