Liturgical calendar of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

The Syro-Malabar Church is a Catholic Church sui iuris of the East Syriac Rite that adheres to the following calendar for the church's liturgical year. Like other liturgical calendars, the Syro-Malabar calendar loosely follows the sequence of pivotal events in the life of Jesus.[1]

Liturgical seasons

The Syro-Malabar liturgical year opens with the season of Annunciation, which begins on the Sunday between November 27 and December 3. This day corresponds to the First Sunday of Advent in the Western Roman Rite tradition.

The liturgical year is divided into the following nine seasons.[1]

SeasonStart DateDuration
1AnnunciationThe Sunday between November 27 and December 33–4 weeks
2NativityDecember 251–2 weeks
3EpiphanyThe Sunday between January 2 and 6; otherwise January 6, if no such Sunday exists4–9 weeks
4LentThe 7th Sunday before Easter[note 1]7 weeks
5ResurrectionEaster Sunday7 weeks
6ApostlesPentecost Sunday (the 7th Sunday after Easter)7 weeks
7SummerThe 7th Sunday after Pentecost7 weeks
8Elijah–Cross–MosesThe 14th Sunday after Pentecost6–11 weeks
9Dedication of the ChurchThe Sunday between October 30 and November 54 weeks

Although the eighth season (Elijah–Cross–Moses) is considered one of the nine, it is also regarded as a combination of the three distinct seasons that are named (Elijah, Cross, and Moses).[2]

Variable feast days

The following feast days are fixed to a particular weekday, rather than a particular calendar day.

FeastDate
The Divine Motherhood of MaryThe Friday between December 30 and January 5
St. John the BaptistThe first Friday of Epiphany (the Friday between January 7 and 13)
Sts. Peter and PaulThe second Friday of Epiphany (the Friday between January 14 and 20)
The EvangelistsThe third Friday of Epiphany (the Friday between January 21 and 27)
St. StephenThe fourth Friday of Epiphany (the Friday between January 28 and February 3)
The Greek FathersThe fifth Friday of Epiphany (the Friday between February 4 and February 10)
The Syriac FathersThe third Friday before Lent[note 2]
The Patron of the ChurchThe second Friday before Lent[note 3]
Commemoration of the DeadThe Friday before Lent
Palm SundayThe Sunday before Easter
Pesaha ThursdayThe Thursday before Easter
Passion FridayThe Friday before Easter
Great SaturdayThe Saturday before Easter
Easter Sunday
Feast of Martyrs (All Saints)The Friday after Easter
Saint AddaiThe Fifth Sunday of Resurrection (the fourth Sunday after Easter)
Ascension of Our LordThe sixth Thursday after Easter
PentecostThe First Sunday of Apostles (the seventh Sunday after Easter)
Friday of GoldFriday after the First Sunday of Apostles
The Holy TrinityThe Second Sunday of Apostles
The Body and Blood of ChristThursday after the Second Sunday of Apostles
Sacred Heart of JesusFriday after the Third Sunday of Apostles
Immaculate Heart of MarySaturday after the Third Sunday of Apostles
Seventy disciples of JesusFriday after the Seventh Sunday of Apostles
Twelve ApostlesFirst Sunday of Summer
St. James of NisibisFriday after the First Sunday of Summer
St. MariFriday after the Second Sunday of Summer
St. Simoni and seven sonsFriday after the Fifth Sunday of Summer
St. Simon Barsaba and co-martyrsFriday after the Sixth Sunday of Summer
Mission SundaySeventh Sunday of Elijah–Cross–Moses
The Dedication of the ChurchFirst Sunday of the Dedication of the Church
Christ the KingFourth Sunday of the Dedication of the Church
The Holy FamilyThe Sunday between December 25 and 31

Fixed feast days

The 19 feast days marked with an asterisk (*) are commemorations found in the Appendix of the Syro-Malabar liturgical calendar.[3]

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Holy days of obligation

In the Syro-Malabar Church, there are 6 holy days of obligation:[4]

  1. Epiphany (January 6)
  2. Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29)
  3. The Ascension of Our Lord (sixth Thursday after Easter)
  4. St. Thomas (July 3)
  5. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15)
  6. Christmas (December 25)

Periods of fasting

The Syro-Malabar Church proposes the following days of fasting to the faithful.[5]

NameDates
25 Days' LentDecember 1–24
Three Days' LentThe third Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before the beginning of Lent
Great LentThe first Monday of Lent through Holy Saturday
Fifteen Days' LentAugust 1–14
Eight Days' LentSeptember 1–7

During the fasting of Great Lent, married couples abstain from intercourse.[6]

See also

References
  1. Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy. "Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar: 2020–2021" (PDF). p. 3.
  2. Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy. "Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar: 2020–2021" (PDF). pp. 50–58.
  3. Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy. "Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar: 2020–2021" (PDF). p. 68.
  4. Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy. "Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar: 2020–2021" (PDF). p. 5.
  5. Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy. "Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar: 2020–2021" (PDF). p. 4.
  6. Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy. "Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar: 2020–2021" (PDF). p. 19.

Notes
  1. In the Syro-Malabar calendar, Lent starts one week earlier than it does in the Roman Rite tradition.
  2. In years in which the First Sunday of Lent falls on February 26 or earlier, this feast is transferred to a later Friday.
  3. In years in which the First Sunday of Lent falls on February 19 or earlier, this feast is transferred to a later Friday.
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