The worst and stupidest decision was to transfer the Ascension and Corpus Christi to the following Sunday, but....
Transferring Epiphany which is January 6 to the Sunday after January 1st is like transferring Christmas to the the Sunday following December 25!
What will they do next? Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday to the Sunday following and Easter the next Sunday?????????
From Rocco Palma:
A “sensus fidelium” veto of a vote by the 1970s US bench, for no shortage of American Catholics – even more now than then – Epiphany is January 6th, period.
Ergo, muy Buenas Fiestas a todos… and for those who’ve let commerce rule your calendar instead, Church up this Year
4 comments:
I am surprised that Rocco thinks that way. On January 1, I was at the one Mass our parish had for the "feast day." It was moderately attended. The parish use to have seven Masses, full, between the vigil and the feast day. I could only think, how is Our Lady honored by this? Between this great decline in piety, the sexual abuse and financial scandals, I wonder what is said to the popes, cardinals, bishops and priests on their judgement day,who have allowed and encouraged this? It shows, a complete loss of faith, from the top down.
How does changing the calendar square with the idea of not bending religion to serve ourselves, as discussed in another of your blog posts today?
Our calendar this week: Yesterday, Solemn High Mass for the Holy Name of Jesus with the commemoration of the Vigil of Epiphany and Solemn Blessing of Epiphany Water. Tonight, Solemn High Mass for Epiphany with the Blessing of Chalk. This week, holy mass for the Octave of Epiphany.
That is the way the third most important feast of the Church year should be celebrated, not with a nonsensical and ahistorical transfer to a date chosen for its convenience.
The transferring of Epiphany, Ascension and Corpus Xi to the nearest Sunday was done by the English and Welsh bishops a quarter of a century ago, was always controversial (in one year Twelfth Night was on 2 January!) and Epiphany and Ascension have now been restored to their proper days. However, an older ruling that if a Holy Day of Obligation falls on a Saturday or a Monday it is transferred to the Sunday, is still in force.
In the wake of Summorum Pontificum the bishops obtained a ruling from PCED that if the feast was transferred this applied also to the EF. However, the Latin Mass Society successfully appealed against this and PCED changed its mind; the EF could be celebrated on the correct day, although no obligation was attached to it.
This was a great boost for the EF, since those who wished to keep to the traditional days could only do so in the older rite.
This year at the Oxford Oratory there was a Solemn Latin OF Mass of the Epiphany on Sunday 5th at 11 a.m. and on Monday 6th a Low Mass at midday and a Solemn Mass in the evening, both in the EF. Next year the Epiphany will fall on a Wednesday, so will not have to be sung twice!
In Catholic countries Corpus Xi is a public holiday; this is not the case in England and it has long been the custom to celebrate the principal Mass on the following Sunday as an External Solemnity, followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament. However, the feast will be celebrated on the Thursday in the EF, but not in the OF.
Bee here:
A blessed Epiphany to all of you!
Today the Lord revealed His salvation to the Gentiles! Blessed be the name of the Lord!
God bless.
Bee
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