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To: Priests, deacons, parish administrators, religious and seminarians
From: Fr. Gerardo Ceballos Gonzalez, director, Office of Divine Worship
Brothers, this year, December 8 is the second Sunday of Advent. As a result, the observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Patronal Feast Day of the United States of America, will be transferred to Monday, December 9.
In previous years, when December 8 fell on a Sunday, it was the practice in our country to indicate that the obligation to attend Mass does not transfer with the liturgical observance. However, the Dicastery for Legislative Texts has recently clarified that the feast “must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred.” Therefore, to fulfill the obligation for Solemnity on Monday, December 9, parishes should schedule normal holy day Masses to accommodate the faithful throughout the day on Monday, December 9.
This comes to us with less notice than we would have liked. Attached, you will see the information from the USCCB’s Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance and the protocol letter of clarification N. 18329/2024 from Dicastery for Legislative Texts.
Note: Parishes should not anticipate the solemnity on Sunday evening but celebrate the second Sunday of Advent for the entirety of Sunday. The Liturgy of the Hours for the Immaculate Conception will also be transferred to Monday, December 9. The optional Memorial of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin is omitted this year.
Since the Dicastery’s response will effect a change in our practice, we provide this information now in the hopes that appropriate explanations to the Catholic faithful can be provided.
