Solemnity of the Ascension will be observed on a Sunday, not on a Thursday, in California

The following announcement was published on the homepage of the Diocese of San Jose.

Is the Solemnity of the Ascension moved to the Seventh Sunday of Easter?

For the Diocese of San Jose, the answer is yes… (and it will always be yes until the bishops of our ecclesiastical province determine otherwise).

In most of the dioceses of the United States, the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred from the Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter to the Seventh Sunday of Easter (which falls this year on May 20, 2012). The readings and prayers for the Ascension should be used in place of those for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. 

How was this decided?

In 1999, in accord with the provisions of canon 1246 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States decided that the Ecclesiastical Provinces of the United States may transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter to the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Each ecclesiastical province would decide for itself if it would make this change within its province.

What is an ecclesiastical province?

An ecclesiastical province is a way of grouping dioceses under the jurisdiction of an archdiocese. San José is in the Ecclesiastical Province of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which comprises the northern counties of the state of California and the entirety of the states of Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

Fun fact:

Only in the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and Omaha is the Ascension celebrated on the Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter.

 

READER COMMENTS

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 12:17 AM By Clinton
Heaven forbid anyone should have to go to Mass on a Thursday!

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 5:01 AM By Juergensen
Fewer and fewer Holy Days. Now just who do you think is smiling at this?

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 5:03 AM By Paul
This type of thing is happening all over the USA. I guess the Bishops think we are all holy enough that Sunday’s are all that is necessary.

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 6:31 AM By St. Christopher
Why not simply eliminate all Holy Days of Obligation? After all, they are so — Medieval — and the Church might offend someone that actually, actually, is required to attend Mass twice in one week (sometimes actually two days in a row). And, it is so very judgmental: “Obligation,” what does that mean? It might mean that there is a “sin” attached for not attending (and we are all so busy, after all) and there is really no such thing, as a “Loving God” would not attach blame to noncompliance. If He did, well, that would mean punishment, and we do not punish in the Catholic Church, not for anything, ever. So, we will have an “Ascension Happy Day” on Sunday. (And, secretly now, no one really cares about these so-called “Special Days.” We all go to Heaven when we die anyway, which is like Disney World and Golf all thrown together.) This “Catholic Thing” would be a drag without the good bishops so that we can really be like everyone else (except for those Muslims and Orthodox Jews and “fundamentalists” and Mormons — all pretty weird folks). God Bless the wonderful USCCB, which watches over us and tells us how to be good Catholics by knowing so very little about those people in the Vatican and what they call “the Faith”. We will all do just fine.

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 6:32 AM By Sue in soCal
*sigh* – a la Charlie Brown

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 6:44 AM By Robert Lockwood
Under the vow “do you renounce Satin and all his works” we find our Bishops ignoring this as to change this Holy Day to appease the modernists is simply wrong. It is becoming more and more difficult for Catholics to practice thir faith in a meaningful manner – this of course is what Satin wants not what the Blessed Trinity wants.

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 7:15 AM By max
tyhis has been true for AGES, but the editor wants us to react. so here we go: THE SKY IS FALLING! NO ONE LIKES GOD ANY MORE! THE END IS NEAR! CALL OUT THE NATIONAL GUARD! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THIS WORLD? WHAT ABOUT THE TLM? CALIFORNIA IS GOING TO BURN IN HELL! WHAT ABOUT ABORTION? THIS IS A SIGN THAT AMCHURCH DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THE ASCENSION! whew…now I’m exhausted.

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 7:44 AM By JMJ
I believe that even the Vatican does this same horrible thing, hope I’m wrong. It is amazing that only a few days ago, I found two messages from ‘Heaven’ about us worldly people not celebrating all of these Holy Days in the proper manner and both were before Vatican II, so we can’t use this as an excuse for our laziness. Why does God still put up with us? +JMJ+

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 8:10 AM By Patrick
The Feast Day is Ascension Thursday, not the Solemnity of the Ascension. This is Novus Ordo destruction of the liturgy.

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 9:12 AM By Sammy
Just wondering – If the Ascension Day is moved to The following Sunday, what Mass do they celebrate on Ascension Thursday?

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 9:14 AM By Catholic Joe
It’s more of a challenge going to Mass in the middle of the week. But I want the Church to challenge me so I can grow and be more disciplined. The Church sends the example that we accommodate the world and not the other way around. This is seem innocuous. It’s not–it’s a terrible slippery slope creating lukewarm Christians.

Posted Tuesday, May 08, 2012 9:57 AM By Greg
i don’t see anyone upset that in the U.S. we used to observe only six of the ten holy days of obligation in Canon Law. We transfer Epiphany and Corpus Christi to Sundays, while not observing St. Joseph (March 19) and SS Peter and Paul (June 29) as holy days of obligation at all, so why such a fuss about transferring the observance of the Ascension from Thursday to Sunday?