For example, if Christmas falls on a Saturday, the obligation remains to attend Mass; on the other hand, if the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1) also falls on a Saturday, it remains a holy day but without the obligation to attend Mass. The Vatican confirmed this decision on July 4, 1992, and it became effective on January 1, 1993.

Candlemas Day is another name for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for the rites of purification and dedication as prescribed by the Torah. According … Continued

The image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is an icon, painted on wood, and seems to have originated around the thirteenth century. Traditionally, the image is also known as “Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.” The icon (about 54 x … Continued

On January 1, the faithful celebrate the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; however, if Jan. 1 falls on the Sunday after Christmas, then the feast of the Holy Family would be celebrated on Dec. 30. In the United States, the Sunday following Jan. 1 marks Epiphany, the visit of the Magi; however, in the universal calendar of the church, Epiphany ...

Q: I recently learned that the feast of Corpus Christi was inspired by a Eucharistic miracle. Can you please give more details about this? — A reader in Springfield A: In the year 1263, a German priest, Peter of Prague, … Continued

The usage of incense adds a sense of solemnity and mystery to the Mass. The visual imagery of the smoke and the smell remind us of the transcendence of the Mass which links heaven with earth, and allows us to enter into the presence of God.

Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) added two crowns to the icon, which were at some point later lost. Nevertheless, on Aug. 15, 1838, the Feast of the Assumption, Pope Gregory XVI with great solemnity, again added the crowns, and thereupon the practice of crowning the image of the Blessed Mother became popular, especially during the month of May.

Therefore, we praise God for this great band of witnesses, and we must not forget to implore their aid, remembering, “Their glory fills us with joy, and their communion with us in your Church gives us inspiration and strength as we hasten on our pilgrimage of faith, eager to meet them” (Preface from the Solemnity of All Saints).

To highlight the solemnity of this miraculous moment, an incensation was also allowed at each elevation (as it may be today). Moreover, during the Solemn Mass or High Mass, the great bell of the Church was rung to alert the townsfolk that the consecration had occurred, at which time they would piously kneel and make an act of adoration.

Finally, it is also interesting that in several apparitions of our Blessed Mother, she herself has attested to her Immaculate Conception: On December 9, 1531 (the date for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in the Spanish Empire) at Guadalupe, Mary said to Juan Diego, “I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God ...