Vestments for every season.
Old and New Testament readings are scheduled according to the
For our regular schedule of masses, plus special times for upcoming feast days (Christmas, Holy Week, etc.), please see our main page.
For specific dates and readings, please visit The Lectionary Page.
The Church year begins with Advent, and ends the following November with the feast of Christ the King. Readings are on a three year schedule. December 2015 – November 2016 is Year C. Each season has its traditional colors and vestments, and its own individual character.
Liturgical Seasons
Lighting the Advent wreath at Family Mass
Advent
First four Sundays of the Church year, immediately preceding Christmas Day
Advent is a season of hopeful anticipation of God’s breaking into our world and our time. It is a time of preparation, not just for a celebration of the birth of Jesus long ago, but for the renewal of our relationship with the living God.
Lighting the candles for the Christmas Eve High Mass.
Christmas
December 25 to January 5
The proverbial Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Eve and end on Twelfth Night.
Epiphany
January 6 to Shrove Tuesday
A season of four to nine weeks, depending on the date of Easter, Epiphany runs from the Feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6) through the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Gospel readings during this season describe various events that manifest the divinity of Jesus, including the coming of the Magi (the feast of Epiphany) The Baptism of our Lord (the Sunday after Epiphany), the wedding at Cana, the calling of the disciples, various miracles and teachings of Jesus, and the Transfiguration (the Last Sunday After the Epiphany).
Procession during Lent.
Lent
Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
Lent is a time of repentance, sacrifice and renewal, as we turn again toward God. Parishioners are encouraged to seek the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) during this time. Icons of the church are removed or covered in purple cloth. All days in Lent, except Sundays, are days of special devotion (The Book of Common Prayer pg. 17). In the Prayer book, abstinence from eating meat is not required, but is traditional on all Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent.
Gospel readings follow Jesus as he visits Jerusalem for the last time, is acclaimed by the people and runs afoul of authorities with his teachings and the cleansing of the Temple. The final week of Lent is Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, followed by Gethsemane and the arrest of Jesus. At the conclusion of this service the altar is stripped, and we keep vigil with Jesus at the Altar of Repose. Good Friday is the memorial of the trial and death of Jesus, and no Eucharist is consecrated on that day.
Ringing the bells at Easter Vigil
Easter
Easter Sunday to Day before Pentecost
Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! The transition from the darkness of Lent to the light of Easter takes place during the Easter Vigil service. We enter by candlelight, but with the Gospel we turn on the lights and ring the bells in celebration of the Resurrection. Baptisms traditionally take place at Easter. Gospel readings recount the events of the Resurrection and its aftermath, leading to the Ascension. The Lord is risen indeed!
All days in Eastertide are feast days. Fasting and abstinence are not kept during this season. From Easter through the feast of Pentecost, there is no fast or abstinence, even on Fridays, So, we can eat meat, drink, and be merry as we celebrate the Great Fifty Days of the Easter Feast!
Pentecost
49 days after Easter and one week following
Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles after the Ascension.
Ordinary Time
Between Trinity Sunday and Advent – approximately half of the year
During Ordinary Time, we focus on the meaning of all we have experienced in the rest of the year, and how we are called to live in response. Gospel readings focus on the teachings of Jesus.
Major Observance Dates:
In 2018
Epiphany – Saturday, January 6
Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, February 14
Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday – Sunday, March 25
Good Friday – Friday, March 30
Easter Day – Sunday, April 1
Ascension Day – Thursday, May 10
Pentecost – Sunday, May 20
Trinity Sunday – Sunday, May 27
Michaelmas (transferred from 9/29) – Sunday, September 30
All Saints’ Day – Thursday, November 1
Christ the King – Sunday, November 25
First Sunday in Advent – Sunday, December 2
Christmas Day – Tuesday, December 25
In 2019
Holy Name – Tuesday, January 1
Epiphany – Sunday, January 6
Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Candlemas) – Sunday, January 6
Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, March 6
Palm Sunday – Sunday, April 14
Good Friday – Friday, April 19
Easter Day – Sunday, April 21
Ascension Day – Thursday, May 30
Pentecost – Sunday, June 9
Trinity Sunday – Sunday, June 16
Michaelmas – Sunday, September 29
All Saints’ Day – Friday, November 1
Christ the King – Sunday, November 24
First Sunday in Advent – Sunday, December 1
Christmas Day – Wednesday, December 25