Commemorative Events Are Important for Human Beings
Celebrations which honor an individual or commemorate an event are a universal human experience. They are found in all cultures, times, and places. For example, we celebrate a person’s birthday, a marriage anniversary, and the day on which our loved ones passed away. Festivals often mark important events in a nation’s history, such as the Fourth of July or Armistice Day.
As Catholics we also celebrate many feasts associated with our faith. Some can be personal like the date of our baptism. Others are universal and ancient liturgical feasts, such as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Still others are feasts specifically associated with a parish or church. We frequently honor the day on which a church’s altar was consecrated as a special anniversary. The year in which a parish was erected is often engraved in the cornerstone of the church building. And the patron saint of a particular parish often becomes an important annual feast day for the parish.
A Parish “Feast Day”
So what day is considered a parish’s special feast day?
The Sacred Heart Review published back in June 1889 answers this question well and explains the history of honoring the anniversary of the consecration of churches:
“The practice of dedicating churches dates from Apostolic times and was formally imposed as a law by Pope Evaristus (A.D. 112); and the observance of the anniversary of a church’s dedication can be traced back to the days of Constantine. When churches are dedicated, the congregation is placed under the protection of some saint; and thus, the church takes the name of that saint: for instance, St. James’ Church, St. Joseph’s.
“At other times, in order to show special devotion to some mystery, or to some manifestation of God’s love, the church receives a name that will keep that mystery or mark of love always before the people of the parish. Thus, churches are sometimes called after the Holy Trinity, the Precious Blood, the Assumption, or, as in our own case here, the church of the Sacred Heart.
“The intention in so naming churches is, in the case of a saint, that the people should have special love for that saint; that they should place themselves under his protection, and, by the study and imitation of his life, make themselves worthy of his intercession before God. That saint, in whose honor the church is named, becomes the patron saint of the place, and his feast is called the patronal feast.
“But when a church is named in honor of some mystery or mark of divine love or divine object, the people are supposed to have great veneration and love for the mystery, mark or object commemorated by the church’s name: and the name of the mystery, mark, or object is called the title of the church, and when the anniversary of the feast comes around, it is called the titular feast.”
As discussed in the article “The Importance of Church Consecrations,” the consecration of churches and cathedrals to the honor of God involves an elaborate and deeply symbolic ceremony. All churches are consecrated to God and given a name in honor of a saint, a divine Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, or another aspect of the Faith (e.g., Epiphany).
Father John Hardon’s Catholic Dictionary, on the entry “Titular Name,” further states:
“The patron of a church is normally chosen by the founders. Usually only one patron is chosen, or else two whose feast (if at all possible) falls on the same day. In general, the patron saint is the one under whose special protection a church has been placed. However, the titular name is a wider term, including also the Persons of the Trinity, mysteries of the faith, angels, or any saint already canonized. The patron of a place is chosen by the people, and one locality may have more than one patron, principal and secondary. There cannot be more than one principal patron except by immemorial custom or special apostolic indult.”
How to Honor Patronal and Titular Feasts
Catholics used to lovingly keep the traditions of the liturgical calendar and would be found attending Mass on St. John’s December feast day for the blessing of wine, Candlemas for the blessing of candles, St. Blaise’s feast day to get their throats blessed, and a myriad of other days. One such day that would often draw Catholics would be the anniversary of the consecration of their church and the patronal/titular feast of the parish. Large celebrations would sometimes happen (for feasts outside of fasting periods like Lent), and the community would come together to celebrate and invoke their patron. This is now only practiced in a small remnant of parishes.
In addition to these days, Catholics would generally keep holy and honor the following days:
- The principal patron of the diocese
- The titular patron of the cathedral of the diocese
- The anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral of the diocese
These three days are also important and, before the changes to Holy Days of Obligation in 1911, the principal patron saint of the diocese would have usually been kept as a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics in that diocese.
Ask yourself, who are the patron saints for your diocese? Do you know if your diocese has secondary patrons in addition to your primary patron? Did you know that your diocese’s patron saint might not be the same as the Cathedral’s titular patron? Since the feast days of these patrons should be kept as First-Class Feasts in each diocese, they are important to honor in our prayers at Mass and in the Divine Office in the local churches. You may find a list of the diocesan patrons for the United States by clicking here. Many dioceses are under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is also the patroness of America under the title “Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.”
The anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral should also be kept as a First-Class Feast with the corresponding Mass generally offered on that anniversary date (or transferred accordingly if it falls on a higher-ranking day).
May Our Lord, Our Lady, and all the holy patrons of our parishes and dioceses bring about a resurgence of Christendom and Tradition which always included the proper honoring of diocesan patrons as well as the honoring of the anniversary of the diocesan cathedral and the patron of our parish.