The Parish PostChurch calendar
Feast and penitential days
The solemnities, feasts, and holy days of the year ahead as kept in the Diocese of Joliet, with a short note on what each one celebrates, plus the days of fasting and abstinence. Dates follow the USCCB liturgical calendar.
Fasting, abstinence, and Fridays
- Ash Wednesday (Feb. 10, 2027) and Good Friday (Mar. 26, 2027) are days of fasting and abstinence. Catholics 18 to 59 eat one full meal and, if needed, two smaller ones that together don’t equal a full meal. Everyone 14 and older abstains from meat.
- Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat for those 14 and older.
- Every other Friday is a day of penance in memory of the Lord’s death. The US bishops encourage the traditional practice of giving up meat, and allow Catholics in the United States to choose another act of penance instead, such as prayer, a work of charity, or giving up something they enjoy.
- When a solemnity falls on a Friday (this year Christmas, Jan. 1, St. Joseph, the Friday of Easter week, and the Sacred Heart), the Friday abstinence doesn’t apply.
- Ember Days are an old custom of fasting and prayer at the start of each season, kept on a Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday four times a year. They are traditional and not obligatory.
Anyone whose health or circumstances make fasting or abstinence a hardship is excused; ask a priest if you’re unsure. Sources: USCCB on fast and abstinence, USCCB Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence (1966), Catholic Encyclopedia on Ember Days.
The year ahead
- Fri, Oct 16: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Oct 23: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Two of the Twelve Apostles, honored together because ancient tradition says they preached the Gospel and were martyred together in Persia. Simon is called “the Zealot” in the Gospels. Jude, also called Thaddeus, is the patron saint of desperate situations and lost causes.
Source- Fri, Oct 30: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Sunday, November 1, 2026
All Saints
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity. It is usually a holy day of obligation, but it falls on a Sunday this year, so the regular Sunday obligation applies.
A celebration of all the saints in heaven, the famous ones and the countless holy people whose names only God knows. The feast has been kept on November 1 in Rome since the 700s and across the Western Church since the 800s. It reminds us that every Christian is called to holiness.
SourceMonday, November 2, 2026
All Souls Day
The Church keeps the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.
The Church prays for all the faithful departed who are still being purified before entering heaven. St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny in France (d. 1048), ordered his monasteries to keep this day each year, and the custom spread to the whole Church. Many Catholics attend Mass, visit cemeteries, and pray for their loved ones throughout November.
Source- Fri, Nov 6: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Monday, November 9, 2026
Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
The Archbasilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the pope’s own cathedral, so it is called the “mother and head of all churches of the city and the world.” It was first dedicated to Christ the Savior in the 300s, on land given by Emperor Constantine after he ended the persecution of Christians. Celebrating it worldwide is a sign of unity with the pope.
Source- Fri, Nov 13: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Nov 20: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Sunday, November 22, 2026
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity. It is the patronal feast of Christ the King Parish.
The last Sunday of the Church year honors Christ as King of all creation, whose kingdom is one of truth, justice, love, and peace. Pope Pius XI started the feast in 1925, in his encyclical Quas Primas, to remind the world that Christ’s reign has no end.
Source- Fri, Nov 27: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Sunday, November 29, 2026
First Sunday of Advent
The new liturgical year begins.
Advent begins the Church’s new year: about four weeks of joyful, watchful preparation for Christmas and for Christ’s coming again at the end of time. Many families light the first candle of an Advent wreath, and priests wear violet.
SourceMonday, November 30, 2026
Saint Andrew, Apostle
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Andrew, a fisherman from Galilee and the brother of St. Peter, was a disciple of John the Baptist before following Jesus, and he brought Peter to meet Him. Tradition holds that he was martyred at Patras in Greece on an X-shaped cross. He is the patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Russia, and fishermen.
Source- Fri, Dec 4: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Tuesday, December 8, 2026
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (holy day of obligation)
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity, and it is a holy day of obligation. It is the patronal feast of the United States.
This feast celebrates that Mary, by God’s grace and the merits of her Son, was kept free from original sin from the first moment of her own conception. (It is not about the conception of Jesus, a common mix-up.) Pope Pius IX defined it as a dogma in 1854, and Mary under this title is the patroness of the United States.
Source- Fri, Dec 11: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Saturday, December 12, 2026
Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
In December 1531 the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego, an Indigenous man, on Tepeyac hill near Mexico City. As a sign for the bishop, her image appeared on his cloak (tilma), which is still displayed in her basilica there. She is the patroness of the Americas, and her feast is beloved by Mexican and Latino Catholics.
SourceWednesday, December 16, 2026
Advent Ember Wednesday (traditional; not obligatory)
It is the traditional Advent Ember Wednesday, which is not obligatory.
Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Friday, December 18, 2026
Advent Ember Friday (traditional; not obligatory) · Friday penance
It is the traditional Advent Ember Friday, which is not obligatory. Catholics keep Friday as a day of penance.
Every Friday is a day of penance in memory of the Lord’s death. Giving up meat is the traditional way and is encouraged; in the United States you may choose another act of penance instead, such as extra prayer, a work of charity, or giving up something you enjoy. Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Saturday, December 19, 2026
Advent Ember Saturday (traditional; not obligatory)
It is the traditional Advent Ember Saturday, which is not obligatory.
Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Friday, December 25, 2026
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) (holy day of obligation)
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity, and it is a holy day of obligation. There is no Friday abstinence today.
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem: God the Son becoming man to save us. The Christmas season continues past December 25, through the Epiphany to the Baptism of the Lord in January. Because a solemnity falls on this Friday, the usual Friday abstinence and penance do not apply. It’s a day to celebrate.
SourceSaturday, December 26, 2026
Saint Stephen, the First Martyr
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Stephen was one of the seven men the Apostles chose as deacons to serve the early Church in Jerusalem (Acts 6). Accused of blasphemy, he was stoned to death while praying for his killers, making him the first Christian martyr; a young Saul, later St. Paul, looked on. He is the patron saint of deacons.
SourceSunday, December 27, 2026
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Kept on the Sunday after Christmas, this feast holds up Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the model for family life: love, faith, work, and care for one another.
SourceMonday, December 28, 2026
The Holy Innocents, Martyrs
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
The Church honors the baby boys of Bethlehem whom King Herod had killed in his attempt to destroy the newborn Jesus (Matthew 2:16-18). They are venerated as martyrs who died in Christ’s place, and the day is often marked with prayer for children and for the unborn.
SourceFriday, January 1, 2027
Mary, the Holy Mother of God (holy day of obligation)
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity, and it is a holy day of obligation. There is no Friday abstinence today.
On the eighth day of Christmas, the Church honors Mary as Mother of God, the title (Theotokos, “God-bearer”) affirmed by the Council of Ephesus in 431 because her Son is truly God. January 1 is also the World Day of Peace. Because a solemnity falls on this Friday, the usual Friday abstinence and penance do not apply. It’s a day to celebrate.
SourceSunday, January 3, 2027
The Epiphany of the Lord
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity.
Epiphany means “manifestation”: Christ revealed to all the nations, represented by the Magi who followed a star to worship Him (Matthew 2). In the United States it is kept on the Sunday between January 2 and 8. Some families mark their doors with blessed chalk for the new year.
Source- Fri, Jan 8: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Sunday, January 10, 2027
The Baptism of the Lord
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan River; the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father’s voice calls Him “my beloved Son.” The feast begins His public ministry and closes the Christmas season.
Source- Fri, Jan 15: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Jan 22: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Monday, January 25, 2027
The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Saul of Tarsus, a zealous persecutor of Christians, met the risen Christ in a blinding light on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Baptized as Paul, he became the great Apostle to the Gentiles and wrote many New Testament letters.
Source- Fri, Jan 29: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Tuesday, February 2, 2027
The Presentation of the Lord
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Forty days after Christmas, Mary and Joseph bring the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, where the elderly Simeon and Anna recognize Him as the Savior (Luke 2). Candles are traditionally blessed today, which is why it is also called Candlemas.
Source- Fri, Feb 5: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Wednesday, February 10, 2027
Ash Wednesday
Lent begins, and the day is one of fasting and abstinence.
Lent’s forty days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving begin. Ashes are placed on the forehead with the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” or “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” It is a day of fasting and abstinence from meat. A day of fasting and abstinence. Catholics ages 18 to 59 eat one full meal and, if needed, two smaller meals that together are less than a full meal; everyone 14 and older abstains from meat. Those who are sick, pregnant, nursing, or otherwise unable are excused.
SourceFriday, February 12, 2027
Friday of Lent: abstinence from meat
It is a Friday of Lent, a day of abstinence from meat.
Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence: Catholics 14 and older don’t eat meat. Fish, eggs, and dairy are fine, and those whose health requires it are excused.
Wednesday, February 17, 2027
Lent Ember Wednesday (traditional; not obligatory)
It is the traditional Lent Ember Wednesday, which is not obligatory.
Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Friday, February 19, 2027
Lent Ember Friday (traditional; not obligatory) · Friday of Lent: abstinence from meat
It is the traditional Lent Ember Friday, which is not obligatory. It is a Friday of Lent, a day of abstinence from meat.
Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence: Catholics 14 and older don’t eat meat. Fish, eggs, and dairy are fine, and those whose health requires it are excused. Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Saturday, February 20, 2027
Lent Ember Saturday (traditional; not obligatory)
It is the traditional Lent Ember Saturday, which is not obligatory.
Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Monday, February 22, 2027
The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
This feast honors Christ’s choice of Peter as the rock on which He built His Church (Matthew 16:18) and the teaching office of Peter’s successors, the popes. A bishop’s chair (cathedra) is the traditional sign of that authority.
SourceFriday, February 26, 2027
Friday of Lent: abstinence from meat
It is a Friday of Lent, a day of abstinence from meat.
Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence: Catholics 14 and older don’t eat meat. Fish, eggs, and dairy are fine, and those whose health requires it are excused.
Friday, March 5, 2027
Friday of Lent: abstinence from meat
It is a Friday of Lent, a day of abstinence from meat.
Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence: Catholics 14 and older don’t eat meat. Fish, eggs, and dairy are fine, and those whose health requires it are excused.
Friday, March 12, 2027
Friday of Lent: abstinence from meat
It is a Friday of Lent, a day of abstinence from meat.
Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence: Catholics 14 and older don’t eat meat. Fish, eggs, and dairy are fine, and those whose health requires it are excused.
Friday, March 19, 2027
Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity. There is no Friday abstinence today.
Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth descended from King David, was the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus, a quiet, faithful protector of the Holy Family. Blessed Pius IX proclaimed him Patron of the Catholic Church on December 8, 1870; he is also patron of fathers, families, and carpenters. Because a solemnity falls on this Friday, the usual Friday abstinence and penance do not apply. It’s a day to celebrate.
SourceSunday, March 21, 2027
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
Holy Week begins.
Holy Week begins as the Church recalls Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, when crowds waved palm branches and cried “Hosanna.” Palms are blessed and carried in procession, and the account of the Lord’s Passion is read at Mass.
SourceThursday, March 25, 2027
Holy Thursday
The Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper begins the Paschal Triduum.
The Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper recalls the Last Supper, when Jesus gave us the Eucharist and the priesthood and washed His disciples’ feet. Afterward the altar is stripped and the faithful keep watch in adoration, as Jesus asked in the Garden of Gethsemane.
SourceFriday, March 26, 2027
Good Friday
Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence.
The Church remembers the Passion and death of Jesus on the cross. No Mass is celebrated; instead the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion includes the Passion reading, prayers for the whole world, veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion. A day of fasting and abstinence. Catholics ages 18 to 59 eat one full meal and, if needed, two smaller meals that together are less than a full meal; everyone 14 and older abstains from meat. Those who are sick, pregnant, nursing, or otherwise unable are excused.
SourceSaturday, March 27, 2027
Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil
The Church keeps Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil on this day.
A quiet day of waiting at the Lord’s tomb. After nightfall the Easter Vigil, the high point of the year, begins with the blessing of the new fire and the Easter candle, and new Catholics are baptized and confirmed.
SourceSunday, March 28, 2027
Easter Sunday
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity.
The greatest feast of the year celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, His victory over sin and death. The first eight days (the Octave of Easter) are each celebrated as solemnities, and the Easter season lasts fifty days, until Pentecost.
SourceFriday, April 2, 2027
Friday in the Octave of Easter: no abstinence
It is Friday in the Octave of Easter, so there is no abstinence.
Each day of the Easter Octave is celebrated as a solemnity, so the usual Friday abstinence and penance do not apply.
Sunday, April 4, 2027
Divine Mercy Sunday
It is the Second Sunday of Easter and the patronal feast of Divine Mercy Parish.
The Second Sunday of Easter is dedicated to God’s mercy. St. John Paul II gave it this name in 2000 when he canonized St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun whose 1930s visions of Jesus spread the Divine Mercy image and chaplet.
SourceMonday, April 5, 2027
The Annunciation of the Lord
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity. It moves from March 25, which is Holy Thursday this year.
The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the mother of the Son of God, and her “yes” brings about the Incarnation (Luke 1:26-38). It normally falls on March 25, nine months before Christmas.
Source- Fri, Apr 9: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Apr 16: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Apr 23: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Apr 30: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Monday, May 3, 2027
Saints Philip and James, Apostles
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Two of the Twelve. Philip, from Bethsaida in Galilee, brought Nathanael to Jesus and asked Him at the Last Supper to “show us the Father.” James, son of Alphaeus, is called “the Lesser” to tell him apart from James the son of Zebedee; beyond his call to be one of the Twelve, little is known of him.
Source- Fri, May 7: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Sunday, May 9, 2027
The Ascension of the Lord
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity. The Diocese of Joliet celebrates it on Sunday, not Thursday, May 6.
Forty days after Easter, the risen Jesus ascended into heaven in the sight of His disciples, promising to send the Holy Spirit (Acts 1). In the Province of Chicago, including the Diocese of Joliet, it is celebrated on the following Sunday.
Source- Fri, May 14: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Sunday, May 16, 2027
Pentecost Sunday
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity.
Fifty days after Easter, the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and the Apostles as tongues of fire, and Peter preached to the crowds in Jerusalem (Acts 2). Often called the birthday of the Church, it closes the Easter season. Priests wear red.
SourceWednesday, May 19, 2027
Pentecost Ember Wednesday (traditional; not obligatory)
It is the traditional Pentecost Ember Wednesday, which is not obligatory.
Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Friday, May 21, 2027
Pentecost Ember Friday (traditional; not obligatory) · Friday penance
It is the traditional Pentecost Ember Friday, which is not obligatory. Catholics keep Friday as a day of penance.
Every Friday is a day of penance in memory of the Lord’s death. Giving up meat is the traditional way and is encouraged; in the United States you may choose another act of penance instead, such as extra prayer, a work of charity, or giving up something you enjoy. Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Saturday, May 22, 2027
Pentecost Ember Saturday (traditional; not obligatory)
It is the traditional Pentecost Ember Saturday, which is not obligatory.
Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Sunday, May 23, 2027
The Most Holy Trinity
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity.
On the Sunday after Pentecost the Church celebrates the central mystery of the faith: one God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Source- Fri, May 28: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Sunday, May 30, 2027
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity.
A celebration of Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. The feast began in the 1200s in Liège, Belgium, through St. Juliana of Cornillon, was extended to the whole Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264, and its hymns were written by St. Thomas Aquinas. Many parishes hold Eucharistic processions.
SourceMonday, May 31, 2027
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Newly pregnant with Jesus, Mary travels to visit her relative Elizabeth, who is expecting John the Baptist. John leaps for joy in the womb, and Mary sings the Magnificat (Luke 1:39-56).
SourceFriday, June 4, 2027
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity. It is the patronal feast of Sacred Heart Parish. There is no Friday abstinence today.
This feast honors the love of Jesus for all people, symbolized by His Heart. The devotion spread through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun who reported visions of Christ in the 1670s, and Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the whole Church in 1856. It is celebrated on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost. Because a solemnity falls on this Friday, the usual Friday abstinence and penance do not apply. It’s a day to celebrate.
Source- Fri, Jun 11: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Jun 18: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Thursday, June 24, 2027
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity.
John, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance and baptizing Him in the Jordan. His birth, foretold to his father by the angel Gabriel, is celebrated with a solemnity (Luke 1).
Source- Fri, Jun 25: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Tuesday, June 29, 2027
Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity.
Rome honors its two great Apostles together. Peter, the fisherman Jesus made head of the Apostles, and Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, were both martyred in Rome during the persecution under Emperor Nero; tradition holds that Peter was crucified.
Source- Fri, Jul 2: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Saturday, July 3, 2027
Saint Thomas, Apostle
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Thomas would not believe the other Apostles had seen the risen Lord until he saw Him himself, then made one of the Gospel’s greatest professions of faith: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Tradition holds that he preached in India and was martyred there; he is the patron saint of India.
Source- Fri, Jul 9: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Jul 16: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Thursday, July 22, 2027
Saint Mary Magdalene
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
A follower of Jesus from Magdala in Galilee, from whom He drove out seven demons (Luke 8:2). She stood by the cross and was the first to see the risen Lord on Easter morning (John 20), so she is called the “Apostle to the Apostles.”
Source- Fri, Jul 23: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Jul 30: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Aug 6: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Tuesday, August 10, 2027
Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Lawrence was a deacon of Rome, in charge of caring for the poor, who was martyred in 258, a few days after Pope Sixtus II, during the persecution of Emperor Valerian. Tradition holds that when ordered to hand over the Church’s treasures he presented the poor, and that he was roasted on a gridiron. He is a patron of deacons, cooks, and the poor.
Source- Fri, Aug 13: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Sunday, August 15, 2027
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Church keeps this day as a solemnity. It is usually a holy day of obligation, but it falls on a Sunday this year, so the regular Sunday obligation applies.
At the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory. The belief is ancient, and Pope Pius XII defined it as a dogma in 1950.
Source- Fri, Aug 20: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Tuesday, August 24, 2027
Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
One of the Twelve, usually identified with Nathanael, whom Jesus called “a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him” (John 1:47). Tradition holds that he preached the Gospel in the East, possibly as far as India.
Source- Fri, Aug 27: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Sep 3: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Wednesday, September 8, 2027
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
The Church celebrates Mary’s birthday, nine months after the Immaculate Conception. Tradition names her parents Saints Joachim and Anne. Her birth is honored as the dawn of salvation, since she would become the mother of the Savior.
Source- Fri, Sep 10: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Tuesday, September 14, 2027
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
This feast honors the Cross on which Christ saved the world. It recalls the finding of the True Cross in Jerusalem, associated with St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, and the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre there in the 300s, whose September anniversary the feast keeps.
SourceWednesday, September 15, 2027
September Ember Wednesday (traditional; not obligatory)
It is the traditional September Ember Wednesday, which is not obligatory.
Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Friday, September 17, 2027
September Ember Friday (traditional; not obligatory) · Friday penance
It is the traditional September Ember Friday, which is not obligatory. Catholics keep Friday as a day of penance.
Every Friday is a day of penance in memory of the Lord’s death. Giving up meat is the traditional way and is encouraged; in the United States you may choose another act of penance instead, such as extra prayer, a work of charity, or giving up something you enjoy. Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Saturday, September 18, 2027
September Ember Saturday (traditional; not obligatory)
It is the traditional September Ember Saturday, which is not obligatory.
Ember Days are an old custom of prayer and fasting at the turn of each season, giving thanks for creation and praying for priests and vocations. They are traditional, not obligatory, and are no longer on the US calendar, but some Catholics still keep them with a voluntary fast or extra prayer.
Tuesday, September 21, 2027
Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Matthew, also called Levi, was a tax collector, a despised job, when Jesus said “Follow me,” and he got up and followed (Matthew 9:9). He became one of the Twelve and is traditionally the author of the first Gospel. He is the patron saint of accountants, bankers, and tax collectors.
Source- Fri, Sep 24: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Wednesday, September 29, 2027
Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
The Church honors the three archangels named in Scripture: Michael, who leads the fight against evil (Revelation 12); Gabriel, who announced the births of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 1); and Raphael, who guided and healed in the Book of Tobit. Michael is the patron of police officers and first responders.
Source- Fri, Oct 1: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Oct 8: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
- Fri, Oct 15: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Monday, October 18, 2027
Saint Luke, Evangelist
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Luke wrote the Gospel that bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles. St. Paul calls him “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14), and he traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys. He is the patron saint of physicians and artists.
Source- Fri, Oct 22: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)
Thursday, October 28, 2027
Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
The Church keeps this day as a feast.
Two of the Twelve Apostles, honored together because ancient tradition says they preached the Gospel and were martyred together in Persia. Simon is called “the Zealot” in the Gospels. Jude, also called Thaddeus, is the patron saint of desperate situations and lost causes.
Source- Fri, Oct 29: Friday penance (meat-free is traditional; another penance is allowed in the US)