What is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Roman Catholic Church?

Answer 1

A Holy Day of Obligation is a concept taken from the Catholic tradition of Christianity (i.e. Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Coptic ''et cetera''). A holy day, in and of itself refers to the Concept of a "Feast," "Memorial," or "Solemnity" of a certain saint, or a rememberance of an event in either Jesus' life or in the life of Mary (his mother). Throughout the entire year there are examples of these days scattered. What a Holy Day of Obligation is, is simply one of these days where people (of a church/denomination) are obliged to go to church, under obedience to the bishops of their country or to the pope. These particular days are usually days which are of a particularly sacred nature, or of interest to the nation in general.

Examples of holy days of obligation are: All Sundays of the year, Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, and often in countries the day of the patron saint of the country, for example in Ireland: Saint Patrick's Feast Day is a holy day of obligation.

Answer 2

The Holy Days of Obligation in the Roman Catholic Church are based on the third Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh is a Sabbath for the Lord your God. You shall do no work that day, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, nor your animals nor the alien living with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, earth and sea and all that these contain, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why the Lord has blessed the Sabbath day and make it sacred. Exodus 20:8-11 NJB and the second commandment of the Church: You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor. The moral commandment of the old covenant (The Sabbath, which is Saturday) is fulfilled by the Sunday celebration under the new covenant. The old covenant prefigured the new and greater covenant given by Our Blessed Lord. So, all Sundays of the year are Holy Days of Obligation, as well as The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2177 As this is a direct Commandment of God, and of Our Blessed Lord through His Body, the Church, it is a moral Obligation and binding under pain of sin. At their plenary assembly in November 1991, with followup mail balloting by absentees, the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved two motions which affect the observance of holy days of obligation in the dioceses of the United States. They decided that 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. The Nativity of Our Lord is always a Holy Day (Christmas), The Epiphany is always transferred to Sunday, The Ascension is transferred in most provinces in the United States to the seventh Sunday of Easter. The feasts of Saint Joseph, Peter and Paul are not held as Days of Obligation in the United States.

Answer 3

The Obligation is to attend Mass, refrain from unnecessary labor, and to make the day holy for God, to pray, meditate, and to do good deeds.