A holy day of obligation
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Dec. 8) is a holy day in the United States because, under this title, the Blessed Mother is our nation’s patroness. It is always a holy day of obligation.
This year, Dec. 8 falls on the Second Sunday of Advent, which takes liturgical precedence over the Immaculate Conception. To honor the importance of this Marian feast, its observance is moved to Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. In a recent decision clarified by the Holy See in response to an inquiry from the U.S. bishops, the obligation to attend Mass is also transferred to this date. As a result, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 9, 2024, remains a holy day of obligation.
Our Bishops said:
“Earlier this year, Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, wrote to the Holy See seeking clarification about the obligation to attend Mass when a holy day of obligation in Advent, Lent, or Easter falls on Sunday and the solemnity is transferred to Monday. In a memo to the United States bishops dated Thursday, Oct. 10, Bishop Paprocki communicated the Dicastery for Legislative Text’s response: ‘the feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.’ In light of this new directive, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, is to be observed as a holy day of obligation.”