Good conversation below on holy days. Liam’s point on three obligatory Marian feasts for Americans is worth considering. I would think that if December 12th can make any headway, it will be either well-earned or the work of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps what the institutional church has missed is that it no longer coopts a cultural festivity and patches a sacred observance onto it. The two weeks we now celebrate as Christmastime were pagan festival days in Rome. While I wouldn’t advocate placing a major feast on Super Bowl Sunday, I do have a pragmatic and cultural approach to obligatory holy days.
If any parish were serious about keep holy the holy days, they would ensure a festival would accompany it: at minimum a nice meal or two or even four, special activities for kids and families: in other words, make it a real celebration.
Otherwise, if there is not much more to offer than a daily Mass with possible music, we can’t expect people to line up to attend. Pastors should be obligated to take the lead on the non-liturgical front in order to make the prayer part of the … culture, if you will.
Catholic Sensibility 