Holy Days of Obligation

On December 13, 1991 the members of the National Conference of Catholic  Bishops of the United States of America made the following general  decree concerning holy days of obligation for Latin Rite Catholics:

In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America,  in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:

January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15,  the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All  Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass  is abrogated.

This decree of the Conference of Bishops was approved and confirmed by  the Apostolic See by a decree of the Congregation for Bishops (Prot. N.  296/84), signed by Bernardin Cardinal Gantin, Prefect of the  Congregation, and dated July 4, 1992.

As President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, I hereby declare that the effective date of this decree for all the Latin Rite  dioceses of the United States of America will be January 1, 1993, the  solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Given at the offices of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC, November 17, 1992.

Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk
Archbishop of Cincinnati
President, NCCB

Monsignor Robert N. Lynch
General Secretary

“Canon 1246, §2 - Holy Days of Obligation.” USCCB, www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/canon-law/complementary-norms/canon-1246. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.