The Church Year consists of two cycles of feasts and holy days: one is
dependent upon the movable date of the Sunday of the Resurrection or
Easter Day; the other, upon the fixed date of December 25, the Feast of
our Lord's Nativity or Christmas Day.
Easter Day is always the first Sunday after the full moon that falls on or
after March 21. It cannot occur before March 22 or after April 25.
The sequence of all Sundays of the Church Year depends upon the date of
Easter Day. But the Sundays of Advent are always the four Sundays
before Christmas Day, whether it occurs on a Sunday or a weekday. The
date of Easter also determines the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday,
and the feast of the Ascension on a Thursday forty days after Easter Day.
1. Principal Feasts
The Principal Feasts observed in this Church are the following:
Easter Day | All Saints' Day, November 1 |
Ascension Day | Christmas Day, December 25 |
The Day of Pentecost | The Epiphany, January 6 |
Trinity Sunday |
These feasts take precedence of any other day or observance. All Saints'
Day may always be observed on the Sunday following November 1, in
addition to its observance on the fixed date.
Calendar 15
2. Sundays
All Sundays of the year are feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ. In addition to
the dated days listed above, only the following feasts, appointed on fixed
days, take precedence of a Sunday:
The Holy Name
The Presentation
The Transfiguration
The feast of the Dedication of a Church, and the feast of its patron or
title, may be observed on, or be transferred to, a Sunday, except in the
seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter.
All other Feasts of our Lord, and all other Major Feasts appointed on
fixed days in the Calendar, when they occur on a Sunday, are normally
transferred to the first convenient open day within the week. When
desired, however, the Collect, Preface, and one or more of the Lessons
appointed for the Feast may be substituted for those of the Sunday, but
not from the Last Sunday after Pentecost through the First Sunday after
the Epiphany, or from the Last Sunday after the Epiphany through
Trinity Sunday.
With the express permission of the bishop, and for urgent and sufficient
reason, some other special occasion may be observed on a Sunday.
3. Holy Days
The following Holy Days are regularly observed throughout the year.
Unless otherwise ordered in the preceding rules concerning Sundays, they
have precedence over all other days of commemoration or of special
observance:
Other Feasts of Our Lord
The Holy Name | Saint John the Baptist |
The Presentation | The Transfiguration |
The Annunciation | Holy Cross Day |
The Visitation |
16 Calendar
Other Major Feasts
All feasts of Apostles | Saint Mary the Virgin |
All feasts of Evangelists | Saint Michael and All Angels |
Saint Stephen | Saint James of Jerusalem |
The Holy Innocents | Independence Day |
Saint Joseph | Thanksgiving Day |
Saint Mary Magdalene |
Fasts
Ash Wednesday | Good Friday |
Feasts appointed of fixed days in the Calendar are not observed on the
days of Holy Week or of Easter Week. Major Feasts falling in these weeks
are transferred to the week following the Second Sunday of Easter, in the
order of their occurrence.
Feasts appointed on fixed days in the Calendar do not take precedence of
Ash Wednesday.
Feasts of our Lord and other Major Feasts appointed on fixed days,
which fall upon or are transferred to a weekday, may be observed on any
open day within the week. This provision does not apply to Christmas
Day, the Epiphany, and All Saints' Day.
4. Days of Special Devotion
The following days are observed by special acts of discipline and
self-denial:
Ash Wednesday and the other weekdays of Lent and of Holy Week,
except the feast of the Annunciation.
Good Friday and all other Fridays of the year, in commemoration of the
Lord's crucifixion, except for Fridays in the Christmas and Easter
seasons, and any Feasts of our Lord which occur on a Friday.
5. Days of Optional Observance
Subject to the rules of precedence governing Principal Feasts, Sundays,
Calendar 17
and Holy Days, the following may be observed with the Collects, Psalms,
and Lessons duly authorized by this Church:
Commemorations listed in the Calendar
Other Commemorations, using the Common of Saints
The Ember Days, traditionally observed on the Wednesdays, Fridays, and
Saturdays after the First Sunday in Lent, the Day of Pentecost, Holy
Cross Day, and December 13
The Rogation Days, traditionally observed on Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday before Ascension Day
Various Occasions
Provided, that there is no celebration of the Eucharist for any such
occasion on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy
Saturday; and provided further, that none of the Propers appointed for
Various Occasions is used as a substitute for, or as an addition to, the
Proper appointed for the Principal Feasts.
18 Calendar
January |
||
1 | A | The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
2 | b | |
3 | c | |
4 | d | |
5 | e | |
6 | f | The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
7 | g | |
8 | A | [Harriet Bedell, Deaconess and Missionary, 1969] |
9 | b | Julia Chester Emery, 1922 |
10 | c | William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1645 |
11 | d | |
12 | e | Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx, 1167 |
13 | f | Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, 367 |
14 | g | |
15 | A | |
16 | b | |
17 | c | Antony, Abbot in Egypt, 356 |
18 | d | The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle |
19 | e | Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095 |
20 | f | Fabian, Bishop and Martyr of Rome, 250 |
21 | g | Agnes, Martyr at Rome, 304 |
22 | A | Vincent, Deacon of Saragossa, and Martyr, 304 |
23 | b | Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts, 1893 |
24 | c | Ordination of Florence Li Tim-Oi, First Woman Priest in the Anglican Communion, 1944 |
25 | d | The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle |
26 | e | Timothy and Titus, Companions of Saint Paul |
27 | f | John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, 407 |
28 | g | Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Friar, 1274 |
29 | A | |
30 | b | |
31 | c |
Calendar 19
February |
||
1 | d | Brigid (Bride), 523 |
2 | e | The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple |
3 | f | Anskar, Archbishop of Hamburg, Missionary to Denmark and Sweden, 865 |
4 | g | Cornelius the Centurion |
5 | A | The Martyrs of Japan, 1597 |
6 | b | |
7 | c | |
8 | d | |
9 | e | |
10 | f | |
11 | g | |
12 | A | |
13 | b | Absalom Jones, Priest, 1818 |
14 | c | Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop, Missionaries to the Slavs, 869, 885 |
15 | d | Thomas Bray, Priest and Missionary, 1730 |
16 | e | |
17 | f | Janani Luwum, Archbishop of Uganda, and Martyr, 1977 |
18 | g | Martin Luther, 1546 |
19 | A | |
20 | b | |
21 | c | |
22 | d | |
23 | e | Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr of Smyrna, 156 |
24 | f | Saint Matthias the Apostle |
25 | g | |
26 | A | |
27 | b | George Herbert, Priest, 1633 |
28 | c | [Anna Julia Haywood Cooper, Educator, 1964] |
29 |
20 Calendar
March |
|||
1 | d | David, Bishop of Menevia, Wales, c. 544 | |
2 | e | Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, 672 | |
3 | f | John and Charles Wesley, Priests, 1791, 1788 | |
4 | g | ||
5 | A | ||
6 | b | ||
7 | c | Perpetua and her Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 202 | |
8 | d | ||
9 | e | Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 394 | |
10 | f | ||
11 | g | ||
12 | A | Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 | |
13 | b | [James Theodore Holly, Bishop of Haiti, and of the Dominican Republic, 1911] |
|
14 | c | ||
15 | d | ||
16 | e | ||
17 | f | Patrick, Bishop and Missionary of Ireland, 461 | |
18 | g | Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386 | |
19 | A | Saint Joseph | |
20 | b | Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 687 | |
21 | c | Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1711 | |
14 | 22 | d | James De Koven, Priest, 1879 |
3 | 23 | e | Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary of Armenia, c. 332 |
24 | f | [Óscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, and the Martyrs of San Salvador, 1980] |
|
11 | 25 | g | The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary |
26 | A | ||
19 | 27 | b | Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, and of Western New York, 1929 |
8 | 28 | c | |
29 | d | John Keble, Priest, 1866 | |
16 | 30 | e | |
5 | 31 | f | John Donne, Priest, 1631 |
Calendar 21
April |
|||
1 | g | Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, 1872 | |
13 | 2 | A | James Lloyd Breck, Priest, 1876 |
2 | 3 | b | Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253 |
4 | c | Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader, 1968 | |
10 | 5 | d | |
6 | e | ||
18 | 7 | f | [Tikhon, Patriarch of Russia,br/> Confessor and Ecumenist, 1925] |
7 | 8 | g | William Augustus Muhlenberg, Priest, 1877 |
9 | A | William Law, Priest, 1761 | |
15 | 10 | b | |
4 | 11 | c | George Augustus Selwyn, Bishop of New Zealand, and of Litchfield, 1878 |
12 | d | ||
12 | 13 | e | |
1 | 14 | f | |
15 | g | ||
9 | 16 | A | |
17 | 17 | b | |
6 | 18 | c | |
19 | d | Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Martyr, 1012 | |
20 | e | ||
21 | f | Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1109 | |
22 | g | ||
23 | A | ||
24 | b | ||
25 | c | Saint Mark the Evangelist | |
26 | d | ||
27 | e | ||
28 | f | ||
29 | g | Catherine of Siena, 1380 | |
30 | A |
22 Calendar
May |
||
1 | b | Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles |
2 | c | Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373 |
3 | d | |
4 | e | Monnica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387 |
5 | f | |
6 | g | |
7 | A | |
8 | b | Dame Julian of Norwich, c. 1417 |
9 | c | Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, 389 |
10 | d | |
11 | e | |
12 | f | |
13 | g | |
14 | A | |
15 | b | |
16 | c | |
17 | d | |
18 | e | |
19 | f | Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988 |
20 | g | Alcuin, Deacon, and Abbot of Tours, 804 |
21 | A | |
22 | b | |
23 | c | |
24 | d | Jackson Kemper, First Missionary Bishop in the United States, 1870 |
25 | e | Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Monk of Jarrow, 735 |
26 | f | Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury, 605 |
27 | g | |
28 | A | |
29 | b | |
30 | c | |
31 | d | The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
The First Book of Common Prayer, 1549, is appropriately observed on a weekday following the Day of Pentecost. |
Calendar 23
June |
||
1 | e | Justin, Martyr at Rome, c. 167 |
2 | f | The Martyrs of Lyons, 177 |
3 | g | The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886 |
4 | A | |
5 | b | Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, Missionary to Germany, and Martyr, 754 |
6 | c | |
7 | d | |
8 | e | |
9 | f | Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597 |
10 | g | Ephrem of Edessa, Syria, Deacon, 373 |
11 | A | Saint Barnabas the Apostle |
12 | b | Enmegahbowh, Priest and Missionary, 1902 |
13 | c | |
14 | d | Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379 |
15 | e | Evelyn Underhill, 1941 |
16 | f | Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, 1752 |
17 | g | |
18 | A | Bernard, Mizeki, Catechist and Martyr in Rhodesia, 1896 |
19 | b | [Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095] |
20 | c | |
21 | d | |
22 | e | Alban, First Martyr of Britain, c. 304 |
23 | f | |
24 | g | The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist |
25 | A | |
26 | b | |
27 | c | |
28 | d | Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, c. 202 |
29 | e | Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles |
30 | f |
24 Calendar
July |
||
1 | g | |
2 | A | |
3 | b | |
4 | c | Independence Day |
5 | d | |
6 | e | |
7 | f | |
8 | g | |
9 | A | |
10 | b | |
11 | c | Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino, c. 540 |
12 | d | |
13 | e | |
14 | f | |
15 | g | |
16 | A | |
17 | b | William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania, 1836 |
18 | c | |
19 | d | Macrina, Monastic and Teacher, 379 |
20 | e | Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman |
21 | f | |
22 | g | Saint Mary Magdalene |
23 | A | |
24 | b | Thomas a Kempis, Priest, 1471 |
25 | c | Saint James the Apostle |
26 | d | The Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
27 | e | William Reed Huntington, Priest, 1909 |
28 | f | |
29 | g | Mary and Martha of Bethany |
30 | A | William Wilberforce, 1833 |
31 | b | Joseph of Arimathaea |
Calendar 25
August |
||
1 | c | Joseph of Arimathaea |
2 | d | |
3 | e | |
4 | f | |
5 | g | |
6 | A | The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
7 | b | John Mason Neale, Priest, 1866 |
8 | c | Dominic, Priest and Friar, 1221 |
9 | d | |
10 | e | Laurence, Deacon and Martyr at Rome, 258 |
11 | f | Clare, Abbess at Assisi, 1253 |
12 | g | Florence Nightingale, Nurse, Social Reformer, 1910 |
13 | A | Jeremy Taylor, Boshop of Down, Connor, and Dromore, 1667 |
14 | b | Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Seminarian and Witness for Civil Rights, 1965 |
15 | c | Saint Mary the Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
16 | c | |
17 | e | |
18 | f | William Porcher DuBose, Priest, 1918 |
19 | g | |
20 | A | Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, 1153 |
21 | b | |
22 | c | |
23 | d | |
24 | e | Saint Bartholomew the Apostle |
25 | f | Louis, King of France, 1270 |
26 | g | |
27 | A | Thomas Gallaudet, 1902 with Henry Winter Syle, 1890 |
28 | b | Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 430 |
29 | c | |
30 | d | |
31 | e | Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 651 |
26 Calendar
September |
||
1 | f | David Pendleton Oakerhater, Deacon and Missionary, 1931 |
2 | g | The Martyrs of New Guinea, 1942 |
3 | A | |
4 | b | Paul Jones, 1941 |
5 | c | |
6 | d | |
7 | e | |
8 | f | |
9 | g | Constance, Nun, and her Companions, 1878 |
10 | A | Alexander Crummell, 1898 |
11 | b | |
12 | c | John Henry Hobart, Bishop of New York, 1830 |
13 | d | Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr of Carthage, 258 |
14 | e | Holy Cross Day |
15 | f | |
16 | g | Ninian, Bishop in Galloway, c. 430 |
17 | A | Hildegard, 1179 |
18 | b | Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, 1882 |
19 | c | Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690 |
20 | d | John Coleridge Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1871 |
21 | e | Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist |
22 | f | Philander Chase, Bishop of Ohio, and of Illinois, 1852 |
23 | g | |
24 | A | |
25 | b | Sergius, Abbot of Holy Trinity, Moscow, 1932 |
26 | c | Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester |
27 | d | |
28 | e | |
29 | f | Saint Michael and All Angels |
30 | g | Jerome, Priest, and Monk of Bethlehem, 420 |
Calendar 27
October |
||
1 | A | Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, c. 530 |
2 | b | |
3 | c | |
4 | d | Francis of Assisi, Friar, 1226 |
5 | e | |
6 | f | William Tyndale, Priest, 1536 |
7 | g | |
8 | A | |
9 | b | Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, 1253 |
10 | c | [Vida Dutton Scudder, Educator and Witness for Peace, 1954] |
11 | d | Philip, Deacon and Evangelist |
12 | e | |
13 | f | |
14 | g | Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, Bishop of Shanghai, 1906 |
15 | A | Samuel Isasc Joseph Schereschewsky, Bishop of Shanghai, 1906 |
16 | b | Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, Bishops, 1555, and Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1556 |
17 | c | Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Martyr, c. 115 |
18 | d | Saint Luke the Evangelist |
19 | e | Henry Martyn, Priest, and Missionary to India and Persia, 1812 |
20 | f | |
21 | g | |
22 | A | |
23 | b | Saint James of Jerusalem, Brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and Martyr, c. 62 |
24 | c | |
25 | d | |
26 | e | Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, 889 |
27 | f | |
28 | g | Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles |
29 | A | James Hannington, Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1885 |
30 | b | |
31 | c |
28 Calendar
November |
||
1 | d | All Saints |
2 | e | Commemoration of All Faithful Departed |
3 | f | Richard Hooker, Priest, 1600 |
4 | g | |
5 | A | |
6 | b | William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1944 |
7 | c | Willibrord, Archbishop of Utrecht, Missionary to Frisia, 739 |
8 | d | |
9 | e | |
10 | f | Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, 461 |
11 | g | Martin, Bishop of Tours, 397 |
12 | A | Charles Simeon, Priest, 1836 |
13 | b | |
14 | c | Consecration of Samuel Seabury, First American Bishop, 1784 |
15 | d | |
16 | e | Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 1093 |
17 | f | Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, 1200 |
18 | g | Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, 680 |
19 | A | Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary, 1231 |
20 | b | Edmund, King of East Anglia, 870 |
21 | c | |
22 | d | Clive Staples Lewis, Apologist and Spiritual Writer, 1963 |
23 | e | Clement, Bishop of Rome, c. 100 |
24 | f | |
25 | g | James Otis Sargent Huntington, Priest and Monk, 1935 |
26 | A | |
27 | b | |
28 | c | Kamehameha and Emma, King and Queen of Hawaii, 1864, 1885 |
29 | d | |
30 | e | Saint Andrew the Apostle |
Calendar 29
December |
||
1 | f | Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, 1637 |
2 | g | Channing Moore Williams, Missionary Bishop in China and Japan, 1910 |
3 | A | |
4 | b | John of Damascus, Priest, c. 760 |
5 | c | Clement of Alexandria, Priest, c. 210 |
6 | d | Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342 |
7 | e | Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397 |
8 | f | |
9 | g | |
10 | A | |
11 | b | |
12 | c | |
13 | d | |
14 | e | |
15 | f | |
16 | f | |
17 | A | |
18 | b | |
19 | c | |
20 | d | |
21 | e | Saint Thomas the Apostle |
22 | f | |
23 | g | |
24 | A | |
25 | b | The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
26 | c | Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr |
27 | d | Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist |
28 | e | The Holy Innocents |
29 | f | Thomas Becket, 1170 |
30 | g | [Frances Joseph Gaudet, Educator and Prison Reformer, 1934] |
31 | A |
30 Calendar
Advent Season
The First Sunday of Advent
The Second Sunday of Advent
The Third Sunday of Advent
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Christmas Season
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas Day, December 25
The First Sunday after Christmas Day
The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, January 1
The Second Sunday after Christmas Day
Epiphany Season
The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, January 6
The First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord
Jesus Christ
The Second Sunday through the Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Lenten Season
The First Day of Lent, or Ash Wednesday
The First Sunday in Lent
The Second Sunday in Lent
The Third Sunday in Lent
The Fourth Sunday in Lent
The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Week
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
Monday in Holy Week
Calendar 31
Tuesday in Holy Week
Wednesday in Holy Week
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Easter Season
Easter Eve
The Sunday of the Resurrection, or Easter Day
Monday in Easter Week
Tuesday in Easter Week
Wednesday in Easter Week
Thursday in Easter Week
Friday in Easter Week
Saturday in Easter Week
The Second Sunday of Easter
The Third Sunday of Easter
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Ascension Day
The Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Sunday after Ascension Day
The Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday
The Season After Pentecost
The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday
The Second Sunday through the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
The Last Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Days
Saint Andrew the Apostle, November 30
Saint Thomas the Apostle, December 21
Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, December 26
Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, December 27
The Holy Innocents, December 28
The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle, January 18
32 Calendar
The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle, January 25
The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple,
also called the Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin, February 2
Saint Matthias the Apostle, February 24
Saint Joseph, March 19
The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ
to the Blessed Virgin Mary, March 25
Saint Mark the Evangelist, April 25
Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles, May 1
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, May 31
Saint Barnabas the Apostle, June 11
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, June 24
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles, June 29
Saint Mary Magdalene, July 22
Saint James the Apostle, July 25
The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, August 6
Saint Mary the Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, August 15
Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, August 24
Holy Cross Day, September 14
Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, September 21
Saint Michael and All Angels, September 29
Saint Luke the Evangelist, October 18
Saint James of Jerusalem, Brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
and Martyr, October 23
Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles, October 28
All Saints' Day, November 1
National Days
Independence Day, July 4
Thanksgiving Day
Calendar 33