Season of Easter
The fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated in joyful exultation as one feast day, or better as one “great Sunday”. These above all others are the days for the singing of the Alleluia.
General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar, #22
Documentation
- Summary sheet for Liturgy Preparation Groups [in preparation]
- General Norms for the Liturgical Year & Calendar 22–26 [pdf]
- Introduction to the Lectionary [pdf]
- Directory on Popular Piety
- Celebrating the Paschal Feasts
4. The Easter Triduum and the Easter Season
b. Sundays
100. The gospel readings for the first three Sundays recount the appearances of the risen Christ. The readings about the Good Shepherd are assigned to the Fourth Sunday. On the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Sundays, there are excerpts from the Lord’s discourse and prayer at the last supper.
The first reading is from Acts, in a three-year cycle of parallel and progressive selections: material is presented on the life ofthe primitive Church, its witness, and its growth.
For the reading from the apostles, 1 Peter is in Year A, 1 John in Year B, Revelation in Year C. These are the texts that seem to fit in especially well with the spirit of joyous faith and sure hope proper to this season.
c. Weekdays
101. As on the Sundays, the first reading is a semicontinuous reading from Acts. The gospel readings during the Easter octave are accounts of the Lord’s appearances. After that there is a semi continuous reading of the Gospel of John, but with texts that have a paschal character in order to complete the reading from John during Lent. This paschal reading is made up in large part of the Lord’s discourse and prayer at the last supper.
d. Solemnities of the Ascension and Pentecost
102. For the first reading the solemnity of the Ascension retains the account of the Ascension according to Acts. This text is complemented by the second reading from the apostolic reflections on Christ in exaltation at the right hand of the Father. For the gospel reading, each of the three Years has its own text in accord with the differences in the Synoptic Gospels.
In the evening Mass celebrated on the vigil of Pentecost four Old Testament texts are provided; anyone of them may be used, in order to bring out the many aspects of Pentecost. The reading from the apostles shows the actual working of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The gospel reading recalls the promise of the Spirit made by Christ before his own glorification. For the Mass on Pentecost itself; in accord with received usage, the account in Acts of the great occurrence on Pentecost is taken as the first reading. The texts from Paul bring out the effect of the action of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. The gospel reading is a remembrance of Jesus bestowing his Spirit on the disciples on Easter evening; other optional texts describe the action of the Spirit on the disciples and on the Church.
Calendar
- Earliest date for Easter - 22 March
- Latest date for Easter - 25 April
- Earliest date for Pentecost - 10 May
- Latest date for Pentecost - 13 June
Sundays of Easter
- Easter Sunday
- Second Sunday of Easter
- Third Sunday of Easter
- Fourth Sunday of Easter
- Fifth Sunday of Easter
- Sixth Sunday of Easter
- The Ascension of the Lord
- Pentecost Sunday
Weekdays of Easter
Solemnities
that fall in Easter Season
- Easter Octave
- The Ascension of the Lord
- St George (in England - 23 April)
that may fall in the Easter Season
- The Annunciation of the Lord (transferred from 25 March)
Feasts
Feasts that fall in Easter Season
- St Mark (25 April)
- St Catherine of Siena - in Europe (29 April)
- St Philip & St James (3 May)
Feasts that may fall in Easter Season
- St Matthias (14 May)
- The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (31 May)
Memorials
354. On Sundays, on the weekdays during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, on Feasts, and on obligatory Memorials:
a. If Mass is celebrated with a congregation, the priest should follow the Calendar of the Church where he is celebrating;
b. If Mass is celebrated with the participation of one minister only, the priest may choose either the Calendar of the Church or a proper Calendar.
355. On optional Memorials,
a. On the weekdays of Advent from December 17 to December 24, on days within the Octave of Christmas, and on the weekdays of Lent, except Ash Wednesday and during Holy Week, the Mass texts for the current liturgical day are used; but the Collect may be taken from a Memorial which happens to be listed in the General Calendar for that day, except on Ash Wednesday and during Holy Week. On weekdays of the season of Easter, Memorials of Saints may rightly be celebrated using all the texts for the Memorial.
General Instruction of the Roman MIssal
| V1 | V2 | V3 | D1 | D2 | D3 | ||
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| 1. | Solemnities of Precept |  |
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| 2. | Sundays in the season of Easter | ||||||
| 3 | Easter Triduum | ||||||
| 4. | Solemnities not of precept (St Joseph, Annunciation, St George) | |
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| 6 | Days in the Octave of Easter | ||||||
| 8. | Feasts | |
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| 12. | Obligatory memorials | |
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| 15. | Weekdays in the season of Easter | ||||||
| V1 | V2 | V3 | D1 | D2 | D3 |
V1 = Ritual Masses (General Instruction of the Roman Missal [hereafter, GIRM], no. 372).
Masses for various needs and occasions and votive Masses, in cases of serious need or pastoral advantage, at the direction of the local Ordinary or with his permission (GIRM, no. 374).
V2 = Masses for various needs and occasions and votive Masses, in cases of serious need or pastoral advantage, at the discretion of the rector of the church or the priest celebrant (GIRM, no. 376).
V3 = Masses for various needs and occasions and votive Masses chosen by the priest celebrant in favour of the devotion of the people (GIRM, no. 373, 375).
D1 = Funeral Mass (GIRM, no. 380).
D2 = Mass on the occasion of news of a death, final burial, or the first anniversary (GIRM, no. 381).
D3 = Daily Mass for the dead (GIRM, no. 381). When D1 and D2 are not permitted, neither is D3.
Resources
Cycle of Prayer
Easter
- New Members of the Church
- Vocations
- especially on the World Day of Prayer for Vocations (4th Sunday of Easter)
- Human Work
- especially on St Joseph the Worker (1 May)
- The Right Use of the Media
- especially on World Communications Day (Ascension of the Lord)
- The Church
- especially on Pentecost Sunday
- Easter Prayer Card (pdf)
- Easter Intentions - ideas for parish liturgy groups (pdf)