Why Feast Days May Need Shifting

by Letters Editor · September 2, 2009

Bishop Michael Coleman (late), Port Elizabeth – The letter of Nicholas Mitchell “Feasts deserve their own dignity” (August 19-25) refers. The protest against transferring feastdays to the nearest Sunday has merit, for the reasons outlined by Mr Mitchell.

It is the norm adopted by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference when it was decided in principle that the feasts of the Assumption and Ascension Thursday should remain Holy Days on the appointed days.

However, it is the prerogative of the local ordinary, for good pastoral reasons, to transfer such celebrations. Assumption Day this year was a case in point, since on a Saturday and in our diocese of Port Elizabeth there are a number of pastoral factors that are pertinent, including the following:

There are 42 priests serving more than 90 communities. This means that some priests regularly have at least four Masses in different centres every weekend. This number could rise to five or six if there are any weddings or funerals.

Most communities celebrate funerals on Saturdays, and some have them almost every Saturday in this time of the Aids pandemic, and there is usually a strong community or family obligation to be present – events that often take three or four hours. In our diocese, less than 2% of the people are Catholic, and many others of other beliefs do not understand our Catholic customs, such as the need to offer Mass on a Holy Day.

In a number of communities, parishioners are obliged to walk 8-15km to Mass. Successive days would place a heavy burden on those who do not have transport.

The pastoral reality is that for good reasons, if we did not celebrate Our Lady’s Assumption on Sunday, the feast of our patroness would have passed by without recognition by many

Next year, August 15 does in fact fall on a Sunday, so it will not be transferred. Ascension Thursday will remain on Thursday.