The observance of traditional feasts and festivals has all but disappeared in today’s secular societies. All days have become equal in a continuous workaday existence. We are called to more! Use these guides and resources to celebrate throughout the year.
Sundays
Do you remember Sundays when stores were closed, families gathered for afternoon dinner, and neighbors left their lawnmowers in the shed?
Sunday has now become like any other day. “Blue laws” are quaint regulations from the past. Sports teams travel. Businesses open their doors. And noisy lawn and construction equipment keep neighborhoods and cities groomed and repaired.
Learn what we’ve lost and why it’s essential to restore leisure and worship on Sunday.
Saints Days and Feast Days
Liturgical Calendars
Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America – PDF downloads for each calendar year
Catholic Liturgical Calendars from Universalis – Electronic Calendars for Android, iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, Mac, and Windows
Liturgical Calendar for the Traditional Latin Mass – Electronic Calendar from Joe Antognini, a machine learning engineer, with options for Google Calendar, Yahoo, and iCalendar
Book Recommendations
Name Days
Celebrating a name day is a bit like celebrating a birthday — in reverse. Here’s why …
First, your name day is celebrated on your patron saint’s feast day — the day he or she died. That means you’re celebrating the beginning of a new life in Heaven. You can celebrate the day of the saint associated with your first name or your confirmation name.
Second, while it’s traditional to receive gifts on your birthday, your name day works in reverse …
Ember Days
Ember days are traditionally set aside four times a year for prayer, fasting, and abstinence. Each succession of three days (a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) is associated with a feast day and occurs close to a change of season.
Though fasting and abstinence are no longer required, ember days continue to provide opportunities to offer thanks to God for the gifts of the seasons, to deepen our prayer lives, and to prepare for times of celebration.
