Calendar for Extraordinary Form

The table below gives an outline of moveable dates and Holydays of Obligation for celebrations of the Extraordinary Form. The list of months to the right give access to the basic Calendar for the Extraordinary Form according to the Missale Romanum of 1962.

Holydays of Obligation

Following a request for information the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales submitted a dubium to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei which confirmed that in the Roman Rite, whichever Form of the liturgy is being celebrated, the Holydays of Obligation are held in common.

The Latin Mass Society sought further clarification from the Pontifical Commission which confirmed that In accordance with nn. 356-361 of the Rubricae Generales Missalis Romani of 1962, it is appropriate to celebrate the external solemnity of Holy Days of on the Sunday to which they have been legitimately transferred by the Episcopal Conference. It further confirmed that it is legitimate to continue to celebrate the Mass and Office of these feasts on the days prescribed in the 1962 Calendar though there is no obligation for the faithful to attend Mass on those days.

  • For further information about what texts are used on these days consult the Latin Mass Society website

In years where the Holyday of Obligation is transferred to the Sunday:

  1. Mass & Office texts for Ss Peter & Paul are also used on 29 June — there is no obligation to attend Mass on this day.
  2. Mass & Office texts for the Assumption are also used on 15 August — there is no obligation to attend Mass on this day.
  3. Mass & Office texts for All Saints are also used on 1 November — there is no obligation to attend Mass on this day.
Table of Moveable Feasts & Holydays of Obligation
Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Sunday Letter f e d c b A g f e d c b A g
Golden Number 14 15 16 17 18 19 1 2 3 4 5
Epact XXII III XIV 25 VI XVII XXIX X XXI II XIII
Septuagesima 20 Jan. 8 Feb. 31 Jan. 20 Feb. 5 Feb. 27 Jan. 16 Feb. 1 Feb. 24 Jan. 12 Feb. 28 Jan.
Ash Wednesday 6 Feb. 25 Feb. 17 Feb. 9 March 22 Feb. 13 Feb. 5 March 18 Feb. 10 Feb. 1 March 14 Feb.
Easter 23 March 12 April 4 April 24 April 8 April 31 March 20 April 5 April 27 March 16 April 1 April
Pentecost 11 May 31 May 23 May 12 June 27 May 19 May 8 June 24 May 15 May 4 June 20 May
Sundays after
Pentecost		 28 25 26 23 26 27 24 26 27 25 27
Ss. Peter
& Paul		 29 June 28 June1 29 June 29 June 29 June 30 June1 29 June 28 June1 29 June 29 June 29 June
Assumption 15 Aug. 16 Aug.2 15 Aug. 14 Aug.2 15 Aug. 15 Aug. 15 Aug. 16 Aug.2 14 Aug.2 15 Aug. 15 Aug.
All Saints 2 Nov.3 1 Nov. 31 Oct.3 1 Nov. 1 Nov. 1 Nov. 2 Nov.3 1 Nov. 1 Nov. 1 Nov. 1 Nov.
Advent 1 30 Nov. 29 Nov. 28 Nov. 27 Nov. 2 Dec. 1 Dec. 30 Nov. 29 Nov. 27 Nov. 3 Dec. 2 Dec.
Christmas 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec. 25 Dec.

The Sunday Letter

In the first column of each month of the Calendar, against each day of the month will be found one of seven letters: A, b, c, d, e, f and g. These are known as the Sunday letters and they show which days of a particular year are Sundays. For example: the Sunday letter for the year 2011 is b; therefore each day which bears this letter will be a Sunday throughout the year 2011: 2, 9, 16 January, etc. A leap year has two Sunday letters, the first showing the Sundays as far as 24 February, the second one showing the Sundays from 25 February until the end of the year, and the Sunday letter f is used for both 24 and 25 February. (In the terminology of the old Roman Calendar both dates are called the Sixth day before the Calends of March.) For example: the Sunday letters for the 2011 are A and g. The first letters shows the Sundays up to 24 February: 1, 8, 15 January… 19 February; then the second letter, g, is used: 26 February, 4, 11 March, etc.

The Old Roman Calendar

In the second column of each month of the Calendar there will be found three fixed points, the Kalends, the Nones and Ides, with Latin numerals counting down to these, the day before each of the three foxed points being note as the Pridie or Eve. The old Roman practice was to count down to the fixed points, with the having the number I, the Eve being the second day before it, the day before the Eve being the third day before it, and so on. The Kalends was the first day of each month. Thus 1 January was called the Kalends of January. The Nones of March, May, July and October was the seventh day of these months as we reckon them; in the other months it was the fifth day. The Ides of March, May, July and October was the fifteenth day of theses months; in other months it was the thirteenth day. For example: 2 January was the fourth day before the Nones of January; 2 March the sixth day before the Nones of March; 14 February the sixteenth day before the Kalends of March; 8 March the eighth day before the Ides of March.