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Holy Days of Obligation are days within the Church’s liturgical year that are feast days and therefore mean that Catholics must attend Mass on those days. They may be celebrated during Sunday Mass, or may be during the week.

Corpus Christi

The term Corpus Christi is Latin for ‘body of Christ.’ The feast day celebrates transubstantiation, the changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ in the Mass. One of the main ways this feast day is celebrated is with a Corpus Christi procession. This gives the faithful the chance to show respect and worship Christ, who is truly present in the form of bread. The host is displayed in a monstrance so everyone can see. Each year in Cardiff a Corpus Christi procession takes place as a symbol of faith.

Saints Peter and Paul

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul is celebrated on 29 June, supposedly the day that both saints died, although years apart.

Peter

Peter was one of the 12 apostles chosen by Jesus. Originally named Simon, he was given the name ‘Peter’, which means rock, by Jesus and was made the leader of the apostles at Caesarea Philippi. This made Peter the first Pope and leader of the Catholic Church. Peter was martyred and was crucified upside down, as he did not see himself as worthy to die the same way as Christ.

Paul

Paul was a Jew whose main task was to hunt and persecute Christians. He never met Christ whilst he was on Earth, but Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus. After that Paul converted to Christianity and worked to spread the life and teachings of Christ. He wrote many letters with many of the books in the New Testament being attributed to him. Paul travelled widely spreading the Good News and was martyred by being beheaded outside the walls of Rome.

The Assumption

The Assumption refers to both the body and soul of Mary being taken up into heaven at the end of her life. The Catholic belief is that at death, the body dies and the soul goes on to heaven or hell and humans wait for the resurrection of the body at the end of time. However the Catholic Church teaches that this does not hold for Mary, as she was free from original sin.

The belief was confirmed in 1950 by Pope Paul Pius XII, who made a statement declaring the Assumption as infallible, thereby making it a doctrine of the Church. It is only the second papal infallible statement to have been made by the Church, the other being also on Mary as the Immaculate Conception.

All Saints

All Saints day is celebrated on 1 November by the Catholic Church as well as other Christian denominations.

The feast day celebrates and remembers all the saints known throughout the history of the Church. Although there may be unknown saints, the feast day tends to focus on those who are recognised by the Catholic Church.