When a Solemnity Is Linked to a Parish Patron
Date: June 7, 2025
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: Are religious communities within a parish bound to say the Mass and office for the solemnity of the anniversary of the dedication of the parish church, or is the Mass and Office of Dedication only celebrated inside the parish church edifice? — J.A.D., Quezon City, Philippines
Answer: To answer this question, we should first look at some of the norms regarding the obligation to recite the office by different classes of persons. These are found in the General Introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours:
“24. Communities of canons, monks, nuns and other religious, who by virtue of their rule or constitution celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours either wholly or in part according to the common or a special rite, represent the Church at prayer in a special way. As the exemplar of the Church which unceasingly praises God with one voice, they more fully show and fulfil the duty of working, especially by prayer, for ‘the building up and increasing of the whole mystical Body of Christ and the good of the particular Churches.’ This is especially true of those engaged in the contemplative life.
“25. Sacred ministers and all clerics, not otherwise bound to common celebration, who live together or assemble for any purpose, should try to say at least some part of the Liturgy of the Hours in common, particularly Lauds in the morning and Vespers in the evening.
“26. Even religious of both sexes, who are not obliged to celebration in common, and members of any Institution dedicated to acquiring perfection are strongly recommended to gather together by themselves or with the people to celebrate this Liturgy or part of it.
“31. b) Religious communities, and the individual members of these communities, bound to recite the Liturgy of the Hours, are to celebrate the Hours in accordance with their particular law. Regarding those in sacred orders the norms of n 2.9 also obtain.”
Further on we also find:
“241 The Office in choir or in common is celebrated in accordance with a proper calendar, that is, of the diocese, religious family or individual Churches. Members of religious families are to join with the community of the local church in celebrating the dedication of the cathedral church, and the principal patrons of the place and of the region in which they live.”
The general norms regarding the liturgical year and “particular calendars” were issued in 1969. This document states in No. 52:
“A particular calendar is prepared by inserting in the General Calendar special solemnities, feasts, and memorials proper to that calendar:
“c. in a calendar for individual churches, celebrations proper to a diocese or religious community, those celebrations that are proper to that church and are listed in the Table of Liturgical Days and also the saints who are buried in that church. Members of religious communities should join with the community of the local Church in celebrating the anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral and the principal patrons of the place and of the larger region where they live.”
From the above we may deduce that a religious community, although they might have their own approved proper calendar, are invited to celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral and the principal patrons of the place where they live.
These would include the patron of the diocese and region. The parish patron is probably not considered in this norm but could be included under the general concept of the “principal patrons of the place … where they live.”
Furthermore, the rank of solemnity attached to the patron of the parish church is above all within the church itself and does not extend necessarily to the territory of the parish boundaries.
Indeed, even the proper solemnity of the dedication or the patron of the cathedral is generally only a solemnity in the cathedral itself and would usually be celebrated with the rank of feast or obligatory memorial in the rest of the diocese.
Taking all of this into account, we can conclude that a religious community is not only not obliged to celebrate the dedication or patron of the parish church as a solemnity in their own chapels but should generally not do so since this solemnity is tied to the church building itself.
However, since they are invited to live in communion with the local ecclesial community, they would do well to underline the parish celebration in some way unless there is a conflict with the proper calendar of the religious community.
This could be through the celebration of a votive office, or the celebration of the patron saint as a memorial or even as a feast on that day.
Unless they are bound to cloister, or there are other practical considerations, the religious community could also join with the larger parish community in celebrating the solemnity within the parish church itself.
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