Q: The patronal feast of one of our parishes in the archdiocese is the Solemnity of the Assumption. Per the Universal Norms of the Liturgical Year and Calendar, paragraph 58, the parish would like to transfer the feast to the Sunday prior.
“For the pastoral good of the faithful, it is permitted to observe on Sundays in Ordinary Time those celebrations that fall during the week and that are agreeable to the devotion of the faithful, provided the celebrations rank above that Sunday in the Table of Liturgical Days. The Mass of such celebrations may be used at all the celebrations of Mass at which the people are present.”
A previous blog post (July 25, 2020) addressed the transferring of a patronal feast saying that the unofficial position of the Vatican is that “if the Mass is transferred, then the whole observance of the day is transferred, including the Liturgy of the Hours, and the weekday becomes a ferial day that year in your parish.”
Since the observance of the day can transfer, but not an obligation, would August 15, which is a holy day of obligation, become a ferial day in that parish? What happens to the obligation?
==
A: Here’s an earlier post: https://paulturner.org/assumption-of-mary/
Because it is a holyday of obligation this year, the parish cannot transfer it to Sunday. They all have to go to church twice that week.