Solemnity Moved from Thursday to Sunday:
The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord will be celebrated on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 30-June1.
As a province of Baltimore, which we are a member, the Solemnity has been transferred from Thursday, May 29th, to the Seventh Sunday of Easter.
Why did it move from a “Thursday” to the weekend? Traditionally, the Ascension was thought to be 40 days after Easter. The Code of Canon Law #1246 gives permission to bishops’ conferences to transfer observances to a Sunday for specific holy days. Note, many U.S. Bishops are in favor of this change for a few reasons. First, with the dwindling number of priests in many parts of the U.S., it harder to have weekday Masses celebrated by priests who are assigned to as many as three or more parishes. Therefore, transferring the Mass to the weekend will enable the faithful to honor the solemnity and hear the readings, prayers, and homily centering on this significant event within our liturgical year.
Editor’s note: The art with this article is a mosaic of Christ’s Ascension at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.
