Feast is a general term for the days celebrated commemorating the important events in the lives of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints. These feasts are not just ordinary feasts, they have special elements. One of these elements is that they serve as very important reminders to Christians how God loves His people and how His power prevails over Satan. The feasts of saints remind Christians how these saints triumphantly offered their lives in the service of God.
There are three types of feasts: Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials
1. Solemnity is a celebration of utmost importance, the highest rank of all feasts. It is identified in the Catholic calendar with a capital letter S. Solemnities are like Sunday celebrations wherein the Gloria and the Creed are being prayed.
2. Feast is a celebration next in rank after Solemnity. It is identified in the calendar with a capital letter F. The Gloria is prayed but not the Creed.
3. Memorials are of the lowest rank. There are two types of Memorials: the Obligatory Memorial and the Optional Memorial.
a. Obligatory Memorials must be observed but the Gloria is not prayed on this day. It is identified in the Catholic calendar with a capital letter M.
b. Optional Memorials is identified in the calendar with a small letter m. The observance of this memorial is not required.
Solemnities
- Epiphany of the Lord
- Resurrection of the Lord
- Ascension of the Lord
- Pentecost
- Holy Trinity
- Body and Blood of Christ
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Christ the King
January 1 - Mary, Mother of God
March 19 - St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
March 25 - Annunciation
June 24 - Birth of St. John the Baptist
June 29 - Saints Peter and Paul, apostles
August 15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1 - All Saints
December 8 - Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
December 25 - Birth of our Lord
Feasts
- Baptism of the Lord
- Holy Family
January 25 - Conversion of Saint Paul
February 2 - Presentation of the Lord
February 22 - Chair of Saint Peter, apostle
April 25 - Saint Mark the Evangelist
May 3 - Saints Philip and James, apostles
May 14 - Saint Matthias, apostle
May 31 - Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elizabeth
July 3 - Saint Thomas, apostle
July 25 - Saint James, apostle
August 6 - Transfiguration of the Lord
August 10 - Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr
August 24 - Saint Bartholomew, apostle
September 8 - Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 14 - Triumph of the Holy Cross
September 21 - Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist
September 29 - Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels
October 18 - Saint Luke, evangelist
October 28 - Saint Simon and Saint Jude, apostles
November 9 - Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
November 30 - Saint Andrew, apostle
December 26 - Saint Stephen, first martyr
December 27 - Saint John, apostle and evangelist
December 28 - Holy Innocents, martyr
Obligatory Memorials
Immaculate Heart of Mary
January 2 - Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen
January 17 - Saint Anthony of Egypt
January 21 - Saint Agnes
January 24 - Saint Frances de Sales
January 26 - Saints Timothy and Titus
January 28 - Saint Thomas Aquinas
January 31 - Saint John Bosco
February 5 - Saint Agatha
February 6 - Saint Paul Miki and Companions
February 10 - Saint Scholastica
February 14 - Saints Cyril and Methodius
February 23 - Saint Polycarp
March 7 - Saints Perpetua and Felicity
April 7 -Saint John Baptist de la Salle
April 11 - Saint Stanislaus
April 29 - Saint Catherine of Sienna
May 2 - Saint Athanasius
May 26 - Saint Philip Neri
June 1 - Saint Justin
June 3 - Saint Charles Lwanga and companions
June 5 - Saint Boniface
June 11 - Saint Barnabas, apostle
June 13 - Saint Anthony of Padua
June 21 - Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
June 28 - Saint Irenaeus
July 11 - Saint Benedict
July 15 - Saint Bonaventure
July 22 - Saint Mary Magdalene
July 26 - Saints Joaquim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
July 29 - Saint Martha
July 31 - Saint Ignatius of Loyola
August 1 - Saint Alphosus Maria de Liguori
August 4 - Saint John Mary Vianney
August 8 - Saint Dominic
August 11 - Saint Clare
August 14 - Saint Maximillian Mary Kolbe
August 20 - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
August 21 - Saint Pius X
August 22 - Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 27 - Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo
August 28 - Saint Augustine of Hippo
August 29 - The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
September 3 - Saint Gregory the Great
September 13 - Saint John Chrysostom
September 15 - Our Lady of Sorrows
September 16 - Saints Cornelius and Cyprian
September 20 - Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and
Saint Paul Chong Hasang and companions
September 23 - Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
September 27 - Saint Vincent de Paul
September 30 - Saint Jerome
October 1 -Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
October 2 - Guardian Angels
October 4 - Saint Francis of Assisi
October 7 - Our Lady of the Rosary
October 15 - Saint Teresa of Avila
October 17 - Saint Ignatius of Antioch
November 4 - Saint Charles Borromeo
November 10 - Saint Leo the Great
November 11 - Saint Martin of Tours
November 12 - Saint Josaphat
November 17 - Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
November 21 - Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 22 - Saint Cecilia
November 24 - Saint Andrew Dung Lac and companions
December 3 - Saint Francis Xavier
December 7 - Saint Ambrose
December 13 - Saint Lucy of Syracuse
December 14 - Saint John of the Cross
