The Narthex
The Erosion of January 1
U.S. Catholics do not understand why this is a holy day on the octave day of Christmas
By John M. Grondelski | January 5th 2026 1:07 PMThe Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, celebrated on January 1, the Octave of Christmas, is a holyday of obligation. There’s an argument to be made that its status is progressively being eroded. Looking at some parish bulletins, I noticed a cutback in the number of Masses offered. That anecdotal…
READ FULL BLOG POSTDon't Get Your Christmas Tree This Weekend!
Why would you put up a Christmas tree in Ordinary Time?
By John M. Grondelski | November 21st 2023 12:09 PMThanksgiving is, for most Americans, a long weekend. Almost all children get out of school on Wednesday and don't return until Monday. Most institutions other than stores and commercial enterprises all take the long weekend. At some point Thanksgiving became something of a segue into the "Christmas season" and --…
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