Stephanie Mann on the Church's Liturgical Calendar

"Throughout the ages, we've developed various systems for telling us how much time has passed and what time is coming. The sun and the moon and the stars have guided us; the seasons of planting and harvesting have provided guidance. Calendars, diaries, journals and other forms of record-keeping have helped us remember and prepare. We have seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, quarters, and years to keep us on track.

"The Catholic Church has been deeply involved in all these methods of telling time, not to control it, but to celebrate the greatest event in human history: the Life of Jesus: His Incarnation, Birth, Life, Passion and Resurrection. Especially the Resurrection.

"Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull in 1582 reforming the old Julian calendar: the date of Easter, which is based on the spring Equinox, was drifting off schedule. The Church was trying to keep the date of Easter as close as possible to when the early Church celebrated it. Following up on one of the concerns of the Council of Trent, scholars reviewed astronomical observations and made mathematical calculations to adjust the calendar. . . .

"Most Catholic monarchs accepted the reforms, but many Protestant countries, like England, did not. The Christian world was divided on its celebration of Easter and would not share the Gregorian calendar until the mid-eighteenth century. Anyone studying the history of England, for example, between 1582 and 1752 has to be aware of the Old and New Styles of dating. England remained on the Julian calendar while across the English Channel much of Europe was using the Gregorian.

"As this calendar was acknowledged as an accurate measure of time, other countries, even Orthodox Christian and Muslim, accepted it for the convenience of diplomacy and trade. But the Church’s purpose for adjusting the calendar had not been diplomatic or commercial: it had been so that the Solemnity of Solemnities, the Holiest Day of the Church Year would be celebrated on the right Sunday"

In a recent commentary, writer Stephanie Mann reflected on the Church's liturgical calendar, including her feasts,octaves and other observances and their role in our lives.

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National Catholic Register: Blogs: Stephanie Mann: Octaves, Novenas and Seasons: The Catholic Way of Telling Time (7 JAN 18)