I was curious to see if others are seeing that Ascension Thursday is transferred to the upcoming Sunday? I live in Archdiocese of NY and it remains on Thursday and is a holy day of obligation. But right over the border the Diocese of Newark (NJ) has transferred it to Sunday and Thursday is a regular weekday Mass.
Here in Italy since sometime around 1977 after the State removed some religious holidays from the calendar the obligation was moved to Sunday. I had to look it up! But somehow the Epiphany snuck back in as a holy day of obligation and in the diocese of Rome, Sts. Peter and Paul is also a holy day of obligation. https://it.cathopedia.org/wiki/Legge_italiana_di_soppressione_delle_festività_religiose_(1977)
Germany: Thursday as it should be, and a general holiday for all the people as a tradition, even if it has no meaning for -sadly enough- most (afraid so) of them.
Syracuse Diocese has the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday! My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready to ascend to You!
I was happy to celebrate Feast of Ascension today! "While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." Despite hearing This reading so many times, it resonated so much today in Mass. i think like disciples, I have been staring at the sky instead of forward to the Cross and leaving world behind. Holy Spirit spoke to me... I gave been living as a man stuck.. my identity had become accident survivor... almost everything focused there. It is time to move forward... live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. It does not mean I forget what happened but in hope and joy I remember it. But most of all I live and than God that he loves this mortal sinful man and gives me all the grace I need to announce His kerygma!
The Marian Fathers concelebrated today’s Mass (Our Lord’s Ascension) ad Orientem, as closely as possible to the TLM. They will still celebrate regular Masses facing the people. However, to mark the culmination of the Easter season, they just wanted to show the Holy Mass offered with deep reverence, focusing on Christ (instead of the priest) as practiced by the faithful pre-Vatican II. You can watch this special Mass on their website or on their official YouTube channel. https://divinemercyplus.org/videos/holy-mass-live
I love the progression of Stephen's thoughts on the last day of his life as recorded in Acts 7: 51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Lord, may I never resist the Holy Spirit!
In the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, the Solemnity of the Ascension will be celebrated this Sunday. I was dismayed to see that we only have three Holy Days of Obligation for the year 2026.
Yes it seems that the Church had a tug of war: consideration 1: Fewer Catholics appear to be coming on a Thursday to honor such an important Feast. Solution: We'll move it to a Sunday to assure better attendance when honoring the fact of the Ascension. Negative consequence: The Feast then dishonors the fact that Jesus ascended 40 days after his Resurrection (this clouds God's historical timetable: the importance of the Biblical number 40). The old saying rears its head: Damned if you do and damned if you don't! Perhaps a stronger overall call to repentance on Sundays would better deal with attendance issues.
As with Peregrin #8 above, Hemelvaartsdag ["to heaven journey"] is a public holiday in Holland where very few have kept the Faith! Here in Lismore Diocese, Australia, not a mention in last Sunday's bulletin or from the pulpit, suggesting it' just another day of minor importance. Heaven help us!
Our diocese and as far as I can see all dioceses in Ireland, north and south have the Feast transferred to Sunday. Replaced with the Feast of St. Matthias, one of the 72 disciples.
In the days of Moses and the wandering Israelites, when the people proved again and again that they would break all of God's laws and not live up to their side of the covenant, God had Moses draw up a second, new set of laws that assumed that the people would be weak and constantly break God's laws. He did this out of both mercy (weaker laws meant the people would hopefully not break as many) and punishment (the people would not know the joy they would have had by following the first set of stronger laws). I feel like the post-Vatican II era is a lot like that second set of laws. We Catholics were falling away and becoming lax, and God in His mercy had His Church relax the rules...but as a consequence we have lost the meaning and depth of joy that those original rules were meant to bring.
I believe Paul speaks to our human nature well in I think his letter to Romans. He teaches that the Law reveals our sin and shows the power it has over us. But it also drives us to Christ, who alone frees us from sin and it's power. The Law and like you said "rules" are not in and if themselves good/bad but meant to help us move toward the One who is pure good and can remove our sin.
