Church Dates and Calendar

Ephiphany

The 12th day after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child.

Baptism of the Lord

Commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.
Always the Sunday after Ephiphany

Ash Wednesday

First day of Lent - 46 days before Easter

Passion (or Palm) Sunday

Palm Sunday, the final Sunday before Easter Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week. Christian churches distribute palms (and sometimes pussy willows) on Palm Sunday to commemorate Christ's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, when palm branches were placed in His path, before His arrest and Crucifixion on Good Friday.

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday (also known as Maundy Thursday) is the day that we celebrate the Last Supper, at which Christ instituted the Mass and the Sacrament of Holy Communion. It is the first day of the Triduum, the three days before Easter Sunday, during which we commemorate Christ's Passion.

Good Friday

Good Friday is the day on which we commemorate the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, the act that brought salvation to all who believe. It is the culmination of Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday, and it takes place two days before Easter Sunday.

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday, is the final day of the Triduum, the three days during which we commemorate Christ's Passion.

Easter Sunday

Easter, the greatest feast day in the Christian calendar, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(first Sunday following the full moon after the Vernal Equinox - around March 21)

Annunciation

The Annunciation is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement by the archangel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son through a virgin birth and become the mother of Jesus Christ, the Christian Messiah and Son of God, marking the Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus.

Ascension Thursday

The Ascension of Our Lord, a Holy Day of Obligation, celebrates the day that Christ, in the presence of His apostles, ascended bodily into Heaven. The Ascension occurred on the 40th day of Easter, so it falls on a Thursday, and thus is often called Ascension Thursday; however, in most dioceses, the celebration of the Ascension is transferred to the following Sunday, six weeks after Easter

Pentecost (Whitsun)

This marks the end of the Easter season in the Christian calendar, celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Pentecost falls 50 days after Easter.

Holy Trinity

Trinity Sunday falls one week after Pentecost Sunday, and it is the day that the Catholic Church has set aside to honour the most fundamental of Christian beliefs—the Holy Trinity.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which falls one week after Pentecost Sunday. It is normally moved to the Sunday following

Feast of the Sacred Heart

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost Sunday, which falls on the 50th day of Easter.

Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ celebrates the revelation of Christ's divine glory on Mount Tabor in Galilee.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary commemorates the death of Mary and her bodily assumption into Heaven

Triumph of the Cross (or Exaltation of the Cross)

It is connected with the old tradition that the Empress Helena discovered the True Cross of Christ in the fourth century and built a church on that place.

All Saints Day

All Saints Day, the day on which Catholics celebrate all the saints, known and unknown, is a surprisingly old feast. It arose out of the Christian tradition of celebrating the martyrdom of saints on the anniversary of their martyrdom. When martyrdoms increased during the persecutions of the late Roman Empire, local dioceses instituted a common feast day in order to ensure that all martyrs, known and unknown, were properly honoured.

Christ the King

It is celebrated on the final Sunday of the liturgical year, which is the last Sunday before Advent starts.

Advent

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. Traditionally, it has been celebrated with prayer and fasting, which is why it is known as the "little Lent." Advent is also the start of the liturgical year in the Roman Catholic Church.

Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. That means that the First Sunday of Advent can fall as early as November 27 or as late as December 3.