A statue of the Immaculate Conception is seen in an isle yard. (Courtesy of Dann Ebina)
It’s a holy day of obligation for isle Catholics regardless of the date
By Jennifer Rector
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which commemorates Mary’s conception free of original sin, is traditionally observed on Dec. 8.
The second Sunday of Advent this year also falls on Dec. 8. In importance of liturgical observations, it ranks higher than the Immaculate Conception.
The overlap presented a scheduling conflict for dioceses and archdioceses across the United States: Should the Immaculate Conception obligation be moved to the next day, Dec. 9, or not be a mandatory observance this year?
In Hawaii, Bishop Larry Silva issued a decree Sept. 26 clarifying that the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception “is to be celebrated on Monday, December 9, 2024, as a holy day of obligation in the Diocese of Honolulu.”
Bishop Silva wrote that the shift to Dec. 9 was important “in order to give due honor to our national patroness and (because) the Diocese of Honolulu only observes this solemnity and the solemnity of Christmas as holy days of obligation.”
While Hawaii observes just two holy days throughout the year, there are a total of eight recognized in the U.S. The remaining six are: Mary, Mother of God; Epiphany; Ascension; Body and Blood of Christ; Assumption of Mary; and All Saints’ Day.
Staying in sync
In 1992, Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario established the two-holy-day policy so Hawaii would be in union with dioceses across the Pacific instead of across the mainland.
Two years prior, Bishop Ferrario received permission from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and from Archbishop Lajos Kada of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship to observe just the two holy days of obligation.
The Diocese of Honolulu officially promulgated the guidance on March 27, 1992.
In his pastoral letter on the holy day policy for the Diocese of Honolulu, Bishop Ferrario explained: “The (Episcopal) Conference of the South Pacific (CEPAC) requested and obtained permission to allow each diocese to decide what holy days to have as long as Christmas and a Marian feast were included.”
To Bishop Ferrario, it made more sense to follow CEPAC due to the Diocese of Honolulu’s proximity to Pacific dioceses.
“… (There) are large amounts of Catholics who live in and visit our diocese from the Pacific who are accustomed to this policy. There are also many members of our church who, because of the burden of multiple jobs and work schedules dependent on the tourist industry, are not able to join in the celebration of the Eucharist on (the remaining holy days),” Bishop Ferrario wrote.
Bishop Ferrario made it clear, however, that the other holy days were no less important.
“I would ask that each of these be observed and celebrated in many ways as possible in every parish community,” Bishop Ferrario wrote in his letter.
He reframed the rest of the days as holy days of celebration, including the solemnity of Our Lady of Peace — the patroness of the cathedral in Honolulu. Pastors were encouraged to honor the day but were not obligated to.
The holy day policy remains in place today and it appears there will be no changes anytime soon.
“A few years ago, I discussed this matter with our Presbyteral Council,” Bishop Silva said in an interview with the Hawaii Catholic Herald. “They felt that the situation had not changed, and that we should therefore not change the list of holy days. However, we did agree that priests would make a special effort to promote Mass attendance on these days in their parishes, at least by special announcements or by adding a Mass or two for the convenience of the people.”
Flowers surrounded an image of Mary at the base of a tall Marian statue overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome on Dec. 8, 2021, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Per tradition, Pope Francis prayed at the statue before daybreak. (Paul Haring / CNS)
Varying policies
The guidance on observing the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception elsewhere in the U.S. is mixed.
Officially, according to a Sept. 4 letter from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Legislative Texts to the USCCB’s canonical affairs and church governance committee, the obligation to observe the solemnity still stands despite the overlap with Advent.
However, many dioceses and archdioceses had already published liturgical instructions about attending Mass in 2024, which did not designate Dec. 9 as a holy day of obligation.
The Archdioceses of Chicago and Philadelphia are among those that will not be moving the holy day.
According to a Nov. 19 article by Our Sunday Visitor, these dioceses and archdioceses “invoked a provision in canon law, the Catholic Church’s primary legislative text, enabling them to ‘suppress’ certain holy days of obligation to accommodate the pastoral needs of their areas.”
Meanwhile, the Diocese of Arlington, Texas, and the Diocese of Cleveland will join the Diocese of Honolulu in observing the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 9.
