Q: This from a Pastor: “As, this year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday and is our patronal feast day, may the celebration be moved to another day during the week? If we were in Ordinary Time, I know we could celebrate our feast day as a Solemnity on a Sunday, but such is rarely, if ever, the case for St. Patrick’s feast day. Thanks for any information you can provide.”
As he notes, we can move from the weekday to the Sunday (in ordinary time; Universal Norms #58). But from Sunday to the weekday? Would the general rule for impeded solemnities apply here? That is, move the observation to the first available (unimpeded) day? In this case, that would be Monday.
However, because Tuesday is the Solemnity of St. Joseph and it has precedence, would an evening Mass have to be that of St. Joseph?
Thanks, once again!
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A: UNLYC #5 and #60 tell you what to do. Where a parish is named for St. Patrick, the proper solemnity transfers to Monday, March 18—both the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. Sunday night’s evening prayer is second vespers for Sunday because it takes precedence.
And because St. Joseph ranks higher than a proper solemnity, his first vespers replaces second vespers for the transferred solemnity.
However, an evening Mass not a on a day of precept (holyday of obligation), may be that of St. Patrick.