Holy Days of Obligation

Holy days of obligation (also known as feasts of precept) are days when the faithful are obliged to participate at Mass and abstain from unnecessary work or other activities which hinder the suitable relaxation of mind and body. Each Sunday is a holy day of obligation, and six Solemnities are also observed as feasts of precept in the United States.

• January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
• Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
• August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
• December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
• December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Motherf of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.

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The following are the holy days celebrated and observed with obligation in the Archdiocese of Boston for 2026:

• Solemnity of Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God, Wednesday, Jan. 1.

• Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Thursday, May 14.

• Solemnity of All Saints, Sunday, Nov 1. (The solemnity included in the observance of Sunday Mass)

• Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Monday, Dec. 8.

• Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Thursday, Dec. 25.

(Note: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a day of obligation this year because it falls on Saturday, Aug. 15.)

Funeral Masses cannot be celebrated on any of these solemnities except Nov. 1.