Major Feasts of the Ukrainian Catholic Church

·        All Sundays of the Year                                                                                          (Obligatory)

Easter Cycle

·        Palm Sunday

·        Good Friday

·        Easter Sunday                                                                                                          (Obligatory)

·        Ascension Thursday (40^th day after Easter Sunday)                                        (Obligatory)

·        Pentecost Sunday (50^th day after Easter Sunday)                                             (Obligatory)

Immovable Feasts and Holy Days

·        Sept. 8            Nativity of the Mother of God

·        Sept. 14          Exaltation of the Holy Cross

·        Oct. 1              Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary

·        Nov. 8             Feast of St. Michael the Archangel and all the Heavenly Angels

·        Nov. 12           Feast of St. Josaphat Priest-martyr (Our Parish’s Feast Day)

·        Nov. 21           Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

·        Dec. 6             Feast of St. Nicholas, Wonderworker

·        Dec. 9             Conception of Anne (RC = Immaculate Conception)                (Obligatory)

·        Dec. 25           Nativity of our Lord                                                                       (Obligatory)

·        Dec. 26           Synaxis of the Blessed Mother of God

·        Jan. 1              Circumcision of our Lord / Feast of St. Basil the Great

·        Jan. 6             Theophany (Feast of Jordan)                                               (Obligatory)

·        Jan. 30            Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs (St. Basil,  St. Gregory, St. John Chrysostom)

·        Feb. 2              Presentation of our Lord in the Temple

·        Mar. 25          The Annunciation                                                                            (Obligatory)

·        June 24           Birth of John the Baptist

·        June 29          Feast of Sts Peter and Paul                                                           (Obligatory)

·        Aug. 6             Holy Transfiguration of our Lord

·        Aug. 15          Dormition of the Mother of God                                                 (Obligatory)

v     All Ukrainian Catholics are obliged to attend the Divine Liturgy on the days marked above as “Obligatory”. Purposefully missing one of these days constitutes a serious sin that can only be absolved in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). *** Remember, you should not approach to receive the Eucharist when in a state of sin.

v     The other feasts listed above, though not obligatory in the same way, are still considered MAJOR FEASTS. All Catholics should equally honour those days by attending the Divine Liturgy when possible.

Fast Days

• Great Lent                              From Monday after Cheese-fare Sunday to Lazarus Saturday

* 1^st day of Great Lent = no meat or dairy products

• Holy Week                             Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday

* Good Friday = no meat or dairy products

• Philip’s Fast                            Day after the Feast of St. Philip (Nov. 15) to the eve of the Nativity
   
• Apostle’s Fast                        From the Sunday of All-Saints to the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
   
• Fast of the Dormition From August 1^st to the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God
   
• Eve of the Nativity                 December 24^th * no meat or dairy products
   
• Eve of Theophany                  January 5^th * no meat or dairy products

Privileged Days

*** Those weeks in which the laws of fasting and abstinence do not bind ***

• From the Nativity of our Lord to the day before the eve of Theophany (Dec. 25 to Jan. 4)

• From the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee to the Sunday of the Prodigal Son

• Easter Sunday to Thomas Sunday

• Pentecost to the Sunday of All-Saints

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