The monthly calendar pages for 2018 – 2019 are now available.
One particular date has been queried by a coupe of people and may be helpful to explain the reason behind. Next year the Solemnity of St George in England will fall on Tuesday 30 April. The rules governing the transfer of dates are explained in the Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year – (pdf text). Next year the usual date for St George (23 April) falls in the Easter Octave. The eight days of the first week of Easter are celebrated as Solemnities of the Lord and take precedence over other celebrations. This means that other celebrations, such as the Feast of St Mark (25/4), are not celebrated next year. Solemnities, because of their importance are transferred to the next available day.
This is explained in paragraph 60:
if several celebrations fall on the same day, the one that holds the highest rank according to the table of liturgical days is observed. however, a solemnity impeded by a liturgical day that takes precedence over it should be transferred to the closest day not listed under nos. 1-8 in the table of precedence, provided that what is laid down in no. 5 is observed.
Paragraph 5 9s about the pre-eminence of Sunday, particularly in Advent,Lent and Easter. Nos. 1-8 of the table of precedence are:
- The Paschal Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of the lord.
- The Nativity of the Lord, the Epiphany, the Ascension, and Pentecost. Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter.
Ash Wednesday.
Weekdays of Holy Week from Monday up to and including Thursday. days within the Octave of Easter. - Solemnities inscribed in the General Calendar, whether of the Lord, of the Blessed Virgin Mary or of Saints.
The commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. - Proper Solemnities, namely:
- The Solemnity of the principal Patron of the place, city or state.
- The Solemnity of the dedication and of the anniversary of the dedication of one’s own church.
- The Solemnity of the Title of one’s own church.
- The Solemnity either of the Title
or of the Founder
or of the principal Patron of an Order or Congregation.
- Feasts of the Lord inscribed in the General Calendar.
- Sundays of Christmas Time and the Sundays in Ordinary Time.
- Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Saints in the General Calendar.
- Proper Feasts, namely:
- The Feast of the principal Patron of the diocese.
- The Feast of the anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral church.
- The Feast of the principal Patron of a region or province, or a country, or of a wider territory.
- The feast of the Title, Founder, or principal Patron of an Order or Congregation and of a religious province, without prejudice to the prescriptions given under no. 4.
- Other feasts proper to an individual church.
- Other Feasts inscribed in the calendar of each diocese or Order or Congregation.
So St George as the Solemnity of the principal Patron of the place, city or state.(4.1) is transferred to the next available day outside the Octave of Easter. Monday 29 April is the Feast of St Catherine of Siena, patron of Europe is ‘the Feast of the principal Patron of a region or province, or a country, or of a wider territory’ (8.3) and so the Solemnity of St George has to be transferred to Tuesday 30 April.
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