Q. Here in Columbus, the solemnity of Mary
(Jan. 1) is a holy day of obligation. I have sisters, though, who live in
Charlotte, N.C., and in Los Angeles, and Jan. 1 is not a holy day of obligation
in either place. Why would it not be the same everywhere?
It seems this is such a serious matter (a
mortal sin if missed) that it should not be left up to local bishops to decide.
Certainly, I would think, it ought to be the same in all parts of the U.S., if
not everywhere in the world. (Columbus, Ohio)
A. Jan. 1 is a holy day of obligation across the continental
United States. In 1991, the U.S. Conference of Bishops decreed that there would
be six such days in this country, including the solemnity of Mary the Mother of
God.
To my knowledge, the only place where this differs is in the
state of Hawaii; with an indult (permission) from the Vatican, the Diocese of
Honolulu determined in 1992 that there would be only two days of obligation
there: Dec. 8 (the Immaculate Conception) and Dec. 25. That was done to bring
Hawaii into conformity with the other islands in the South Pacific.
With the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God (Jan. 1), the
solemnity of the Assumption (Aug. 15) or the solemnity of All Saints (Nov. 1),
the obligation of Mass attendance is lifted when the date occurs on a Saturday
or a Monday.
I suspect that what prompts your question is that you happened to
be speaking to your sisters in one of those years.
There is wisdom, I would think, in leaving the determination of
holy days to the bishops of a particular nation, since they would likely be
more in touch with the history and spirituality of their own people. In
Ireland, for example, Mass attendance is required on St. Patrick's Day, as it
is in Mexico on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Q. I received in the mail an unsolicited
request for donations from a Catholic charitable organization. Included in the
mailing was a third-class relic. I do not need to have a third-class relic of
an unfamiliar saint in my house.
I suppose that I should have mailed it
back to the charity immediately, but I no longer have that information. I have
not discussed this with my parish, but I doubt that they want to collect
unsolicited third-class relics any more than I do. How do I dispose of this
item respectfully? (Roanoke, Va.)
A. Veneration of relics of the saints has a long history in the
church. The Acts of the Apostles (19:11-12) notes that "so extraordinary
were the mighty deeds God accomplished at the hands of Paul that when face
cloths or aprons that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases
left them, and the evil spirits came out of them."
There are three classes of relics. First class are parts of a
saint's body; second class would be a piece of the saint's clothing or
something used by the saint; and third class is an object that has been touched
to a first-class relic.
Relics of the saints should be treated with the same respect that
Canon 1171 awards to other blessed or sacred objects: They should be treated
reverently, and the basic rule for the disposition has been to burn or to bury
them. The website of the Diocese of Superior, Wis., clarifies that "it is
not a sin to throw away blessed items, but out of proper respect, one should
dispose of them in this way."
I agree with you that an organization should not mail out relics
unsolicited; to do so risks casual or irreverent treatment, and it doesn't seem
fair to burden the recipient with the obligation to dispose of them properly.
Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at
askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 30 Columbia Circle Dr., Albany, New York 12203.