|
The Liturgical Year: Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time takes its name from the Latin word, ordinal, which means numbered. The numbered weeks in the liturgical year represent the weeks from the Baptism of the Lord until Ash Wednesday and again from the Pentecost until the first Sunday of Advent. This time presents many opportunities to focus on the teachings and parables of Jesus and on the demands of being a follower of Christ. It is a time when we follow the life of Jesus through the stories of Matthew, Mark or Luke. A particular color is associated with each of the liturgical seasons. These colors are reflected in the priests' vestments during each season. The color for Ordinary Time is green.
Saints and Feast Days for Ordinary Time
- January 17 Saint Anthony
- January 25 Conversion of Saint Paul
- January 28 Saint Thomas Aquinas
- January 31 Saint John Bosco
- February 1 Saint Brigid of Ireland
- February 3 Saint Blaise
- February 11 Our Lady of Lourdes
- February 14 Saint Valentine
Websites for Saint's and Feast Day Information
www.catholic.org
www.catholic-pages.com
www.catholic-forum.com
www.americancatholic.org
Parents, Teachers and Catechists
Please refer to the Celebrate book (Grades K-6) included with Christ Jesus, the Way for further information about the Liturgical Year, saints, prayer services, and activities for classroom and home.
Lectionary Link
Please refer to the Lectionary Key on this website for the appropriate Sunday readings for Ordinary Time.
Lent is a time of conversion when we think again about who we have become and who God calls us to be. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until Holy Thursday. During this period we reshape ourselves and seek to put on the attitude of Christ. We are encouraged to follow the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The cross of Christ stands before us throughout this forty-day season. We are marked with the sign in ashes; we journey the way of the cross through the devotional stations; we venerate the wood of the cross on Good Friday and we lift it high throughout the Easter season. The color for Lent is purple.
Saints and Feast Days in Lent
- March 3 Ash Wednesday
- March 3 Saint Katherine Drexel
- March 17 Saint Patrick
- March 19 Saint Joseph
- March 24 Bishop Oscar Romero
- March 25 The Annunciation
- April 16 Saint Bernadette
- April 17 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
Websites for Saint's and Feast Day Information
www.catholic.org
www.catholic-pages.com
www.catholic-forum.com
www.americancatholic.org
Parents, Teachers and Catechists
Please refer to the Celebrate book (Grades K-6) included with Christ Jesus, the Way for further information about the Liturgical Year, saints, prayers services, and activities for classroom and home.
Lectionary Link
Please refer to the Lectionary Key on this website for the appropriate Sunday readings for Lent.
The Triduum
The seasons of the liturgical year each celebrate a mystery of our salvation. The Advent-Christmas season prepares us for and celebrates the Incarnation. Lent is a solemn time of preparation for the joy of Easter when Christ rose from the dead. The weeks outside of the Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter seasons are simply numbered. This period is referred to as Ordinary Time
The Triduum is the most important celebration of the liturgical year. The three days of the Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, recalls the death of Jesus on Good Friday, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.
All of the Liturgies of the Triduum are tied to the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In this way the faithful can journey with Jesus to the cross, and to resurrection and new life.
Good Friday is the day that the Church commemorates the death of Jesus on the Cross. On this day the church celebrates the "Liturgy of the Lord's Passion." This is not a Mass. The service consists of the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and the Communion Rite. There are no Introductory Rites, no Liturgy of the Eucharist and no Concluding Rites.
The Easter Vigil celebrates the first light of resurrection and salvation. The new Paschal candle is carried into the Church, as are the holy oils used throughout the year. For the first time since Lent began the alleluias are sung in honor of the risen Christ. New Catholics are initiated through the reception of Baptism, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation. The message that Christ has died, Christ is risen and Christ will come again are at the center of these days.
Websites for Feast Day Information
www.catholic.org
www.catholic-pages.com
www.catholic-forum.com
www.americancatholic.org
Parents, Teachers and Catechists
Please refer to the Celebrate book (Grade K-6) included with Christ Jesus, the Way for further information about the Liturgical Year, saints, prayer services, and activities for classroom and home.
Lectionary Link
Please refer to the Lectionary Key on this website for the appropriate readings for the Triduum. Easter is the high point of the Christian year, as it celebrates the central mystery of Christ, his triumph over death and the cross and the resurrection. The Easter season lasts fifty days from Easter Sunday until Pentecost Sunday. The Church celebrates the hope to which all are called. Resurrection teaches that in death, the faithful will be brought to new life in God. The sharing of the resurrection creates a Christian responsibility to be a people of joy, hope and new life. Included in the Easter season are two major feasts, the Ascension of Jesus and Pentecost. The color for Easter is white.
Saints and Feast Days in Easter Time
- April 25 Saint Mark
- April 19 Saint Catherine of Siena
- May 1 Saint Joseph the Worker
- May 3 Saints Philip and James
- May 15 Saint Isidore the Farmer
- May 30 Saint Joan of Arc
- June 3 Saints Charles Lwanga and the Uganda Martyrs
- June 3 Pope John XXIII
Websites for Saint's and Feast Day Information
www.catholic.org
www.catholic-pages.com
www.catholic-forum.com
www.americancatholic.org
Parents, Teacher and Catechists
Please refer to the Celebrate book (Grades K-6) included with Christ Jesus, the Way for further information about the Liturgical year, saints, prayer services, and activities for classroom and home.
Lectionary Key
Please refer to the Lectionary Key on this website for the appropriate Sunday readings for Easter Time.
Back To Top |
