The Calendar
of the Church YearThe Church Year consists of two cycles of feasts and holy days: one is
dependent upon the movable date of the Sunday of the Resurrection or
Easter Day; the other, upon the fixed date of December 25, the Feast of
our Lord’s Nativity or Christmas Day.
Easter Day is always the first Sunday after the full moon that falls on or
after March 21. It cannot occur before March 22 or after April 25.
The sequence of all Sundays of the Church Year depends upon the date of
Easter Day. But the Sundays of Advent are always the four Sundays
before Christmas Day, whether it occurs on a Sunday or a weekday. The
date of Easter also determines the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday,
and the feast of the Ascension on a Thursday forty days after Easter Day.
1. Principal Feasts
The Principal Feasts observed in this Church are the following:
Easter Day
Ascension Day
The Day of Pentecost
Trinity Sunday |
All Saints’ Day, November 1
Christmas Day, December 25
The Epiphany, January 6 |
These feasts take precedence of any other day or observance. All Saints’
Day may always be observed on the Sunday following November 1, in
addition to its observance on the fixed date.
2. Sundays
All Sundays of the year are feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ. In addition to
the dated days listed above, only the following feasts, appointed on fixed
days, take precedence of a Sunday:
The Holy Name
The Presentation
The Transfiguration
The feast of the Dedication of a Church, and the feast of its patron or
title, may be observed on, or be transferred to, a Sunday, except in the
seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter.
All other Feasts of our Lord, and all other Major Feasts appointed on
fixed days in the Calendar, when they occur on a Sunday, are normally
transferred to the first convenient open day within the week. When
desired, however, the Collect, Preface, and one or more of the Lessons
appointed for the Feast may be substituted for those of the Sunday, but
not from the Last Sunday after Pentecost through the First Sunday after
the Epiphany, or from the Last Sunday after the Epiphany through
Trinity Sunday.
With the express permission of the bishop, and for urgent and sufficient
reason, some other special occasion may be observed on a Sunday.
3. Holy Days
The following Holy Days are regularly observed throughout the year.
Unless otherwise ordered in the preceding rules concerning Sundays, they
have precedence over all other days of commemoration or of special
observance:
Other Feasts of our Lord
The Holy Name
The Presentation
The Annunciation
The Visitation |
Saint John the Baptist
The Transfiguration
Holy Cross Day |
Other Major Feasts
All feasts of Apostles
All feasts of Evangelists
Saint Stephen
The Holy Innocents
Saint Joseph
Saint Mary Magdalene |
Saint Mary the Virgin
Saint Michael and All Angels
Saint James of Jerusalem
Independence Day
Thanksgiving Day
|
Fasts
| Ash Wednesday |
Good Friday |
Feasts appointed on fixed days in the Calendar are not observed on the
days of Holy Week or of Easter Week. Major Feasts falling in these weeks
are transferred to the week following the Second Sunday of Easter, in the
order of their occurrence.
Feasts appointed on fixed days in the Calendar do not take precedence of
Ash Wednesday.
Feasts of our Lord and other Major Feasts appointed on fixed days,
which fall upon or are transferred to a weekday, may be observed on any
open day within the week. This provision does not apply to Christmas
Day, the Epiphany, and All Saints’ Day.
4. Days of Special Devotion
The following days are observed by special acts of discipline and
self-denial:
Ash Wednesday and the other weekdays of Lent and of Holy Week,
except the feast of the Annunciation.
Good Friday and all other Fridays of the year, in commemoration of the
Lord’s crucifixion, except for Fridays in the Christmas and Easter
seasons, and any Feasts of our Lord which occur on a Friday.
5. Days of Optional Observance
Subject to the rules of precedence governing Principal Feasts, Sundays,
and Holy Days, the following may be observed with the Collects, Psalms,
and Lessons duly authorized by this Church:
Commemorations listed in the Calendar
Other Commemorations, using the Common of Saints
The Ember Days, traditionally observed on the Wednesdays, Fridays, and
Saturdays after the First Sunday in Lent, the Day of Pentecost, Holy
Cross Day, and December 13
The Rogation Days, traditionally observed on Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday before Ascension Day
Various Occasions
Provided, that there is no celebration of the Eucharist for any such
occasion on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy
Saturday; and provided further, that none of the Propers appointed for
Various Occasions is used as a substitute for, or as an addition to, the
Proper appointed for the Principal Feasts.
January
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The Holy Name of Our
Lord Jesus Christ
The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1645
Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, 367
Antony, Abbot in Egypt, 356
The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle
Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095
Fabian, Bishop and Martyr of Rome, 250
Agnes, Martyr at Rome, 304
Vincent, Deacon of Saragossa, and Martyr, 304
Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts, 1893
The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle
Timothy and Titus, Companions of Saint Paul
John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, 407
Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Friar, 1274
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February
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The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple
Anskar, Archbishop of Hamburg, Missionary to
Denmark and Sweden, 865
Cornelius the Centurion
The Martyrs of Japan, 1597
Absalom Jones, Priest, 1818
Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop, Missionaries
to the Slavs, 869, 885
Thomas Bray, Priest and Missionary, 1730
Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr of Smyrna, 156
Saint Matthias the Apostle
George Herbert, Priest, 1633
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March
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David, Bishop of
Menevia, Wales, c. 544
Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, 672
John and Charles Wesley, Priests, 1791, 1788
Perpetua and her Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 202
Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 394
Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604
Patrick, Bishop and Missionary of Ireland, 461
Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386
A Saint Joseph
Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 687
Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1711
James De Koven, Priest, 1879
Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary of
Armenia, c. 332
The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, and of
Western New York, 1929
John Keble, Priest, 1866
John Donne, Priest, 1631 |
April
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Frederick Denison
Maurice, Priest, 1872
James Lloyd Breck, Priest, 1876
Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253
William Augustus Muhlenberg, Priest, 1877
William Law, Priest, 1761
George Augustus Selwyn, Bishop of New Zealand,
and Litchfield, 1878
Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Martyr, 1012
Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1109
Saint Mark the Evangelist
Catherine of Siena, 1380
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May
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Saint Philip and
Saint James, Apostles
Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373
Monnica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387
Dame Julian of Norwich, c. 1417
Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, 389
Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988
20 g Alcuin, Deacon, and Abbot of Tours, 804
Jackson Kemper, First Missionary Bishop in the
United States,1870
Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Monk of Jarrow, 735
Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury, 605
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
| |
|
The
First Book of Common Prayer, 1549, is appropriately
observed on a weekday following the Day of Pentecost. |
June
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Justin, Martyr at Rome,
c. 167
The Martyrs of Lyons, 177
The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886
Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, Missionary to Germany,
and Martyr, 754
Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597
10 g Ephrem of Edessa, Syria, Deacon, 373
Saint Barnabas the Apostle
Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379
Evelyn Underhill, 1941
Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, 1752
Bernard Mizeki, Catechist and Martyr in Rhodesia, 1896
Alban, First Martyr of Britain, c. 304
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, c. 202
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles
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July
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Independence Day
Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Casino, c. 540
William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania, 1836
Saint Mary Magdalene
Thomas a Kempis, Priest, 1471
Saint James the Apostle
The Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
William Reed Huntington, Priest, 1909
Mary and Martha of Bethany
William Wilberforce, 1833
Joseph of Arimathea |
August
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The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ
John Mason Neale, Priest, 1866
Dominic, Priest and Friar, 1221
Laurence, Deacon, and Martyr at Rome, 258
Clare, Abbess at Assisi, 1253
Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down, Connor, and
Dromore, 1667
Saint Mary the Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ
William Porcher DuBose, Priest, 1918
Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, 1153
Saint Bartholomew the Apostle
Louis, King of France, 1270
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 430
Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 651 |
September
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The Martyrs of New Guinea, 1942
John Henry Hobart, Bishop of New York, 1830
Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr of Carthage, 258
Holy Cross Day
Ninian, Bishop in Galloway, c. 430
Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, 1882
Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690
John Coleridge Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, and his
Companions, Martyrs, 1871
Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Sergius, Abbot of Holy Trinity, Moscow, 1392
Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, 1626
Saint Michael and All Angels
Jerome, Priest, and Monk of Bethlehem, 420 |
October
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Remigius, Bishop of
Rheims, c. 530
Francis of Assisi, Friar, 1226
William Tyndale, Priest, 1536
Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, 1253
Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, Bishop
of Shanghai, 1906
Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, Bishops, 1555
and Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1556
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Martyr, c. 115
Saint Luke the Evangelist
Henry Martyn, Priest, and Missionary to India
and Persia, 1812
Saint James of Jerusalem, Brother of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, and Martyr, c. 62
Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, 899
Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles
James Hannington, Bishop of Eastern Equatorial
Africa, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1885
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November
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All Saints
Commemoration of All Faithful Departed
Richard Hooker, Priest, 1600
Willibrord, Archbishop of Utrecht, Missionary to
Frisia, 739
Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, 461
Martin, Bishop of Tours, 397
Charles Simeon, Priest, 1836
Consecration of Samuel Seabury, First American
Bishop, 1784
Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 1093
Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, 1200
Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, 680
Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary, 1231
Clement, Bishop of Rome, c. 100
Saint Andrew the Apostle |
December
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Nicholas Ferrar,
Deacon, 1637
Channing Moore Williams, Missionary Bishop in
China and Japan, 1910
John of Damascus, Priest, c. 760
Clement of Alexandria, Priest, c. 210
Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342
Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397
Saint Thomas the Apostle
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr
Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist
The Holy Innocents
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The Titles of the Seasons
Sundays and Major Holy Days
observed in this Church throughout the Year
Advent Season
The First Sunday of Advent
The Second Sunday of Advent
The Third Sunday of Advent
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Christmas Season
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas Day, December 25
The First Sunday after Christmas Day
The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, January 1
The Second Sunday after Christmas Day
Epiphany Season
The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, January 6
The First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord
Jesus Christ
The Second Sunday through the Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Lenten Season
The First Day of Lent, or Ash Wednesday
The First Sunday in Lent
The Second Sunday in Lent
The Third Sunday in Lent
The Fourth Sunday in Lent
The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Week
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
Monday in Holy Week
Tuesday in Holy Week
Wednesday in Holy Week
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Easter Season
Easter Eve
The Sunday of the Resurrection, or Easter Day
Monday in Easter Week
Tuesday in Easter Week
Wednesday in Easter Week
Thursday in Easter Week
Friday in Easter Week
Saturday in Easter Week
The Second Sunday of Easter
The Third Sunday of Easter
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Ascension Day
The Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Sunday after Ascension Day
The Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday
The Season After Pentecost
The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday
The Second Sunday through the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
The Last Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Days
Saint Andrew the Apostle, November 30
Saint Thomas the Apostle, December 21
Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, December 26
Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, December 27
The Holy Innocents, December 28
The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle, January 18
The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle, January 25
The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple,
also called the Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin,
February 2
Saint Matthias the Apostle, February 24
Saint Joseph, March 19
The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ
to the Blessed Virgin Mary, March 25
Saint Mark the Evangelist, April 25
Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles, May 1
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, May 31
Saint Barnabas the Apostle, June 11
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, June 24
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles, June 29
Saint Mary Magdalene, July 22
Saint James the Apostle, July 25
The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, August 6
Saint Mary the Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, August 15
Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, August 24
Holy Cross Day, September 14
Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, September 21
Saint Michael and All Angels, September 29
Saint Luke the Evangelist, October 18
Saint James of Jerusalem, Brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
and Martyr, October 23
Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles, October 28
All Saints’ Day, November 1
National Days
Independence Day, July 4
Thanksgiving Day
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