LITURGICAL

CYCLE/YEAR

The Liturgical Year

The liturgical year is the arrangement of the
Churchs celebrations of the various events
in the life of Christ and the mysteries of our
faith throughout the year.
Comprises a cycle of seasons & feasts
celebrated by the Church during a 12 month
period.
The seasons & feast days recall & celebrate
the mysteries of Christ His life, death &
resurrection; as well as the love, devotion,
faithfulness & holiness that surrounded His
Mother, Mary, & the other Saints.

First Sunday
of Advent
27th Nov 2011

2011/2012

ADVENT

From Latin adventus meaning arriving

or coming.
Period of joyous, devout & expectant
anticipation & preparation for both the
celebration of Jesus birth & his expected
second coming.
Scripture readings focus on Gods
promise to send a saviour to deliver us
from sin & death.
It is a time to take life a little more
slowly, and to focus on what we need to
do to allow God to more fully enter our
heart.

ADVENT

Period of waiting is marked with

Advent Wreath with 4 candles,
symbolizing the hopefulness of
evergreens, the eternal love of God
expressed in the circle without
beginning or end, & the candle
flames pushing out the darkness to
make way for Christ, the Light of
the world.
The Crib reminds us of what we are
anticipating.
Liturgical colour: Purple (symbolizes
penance), third week rose/pink
(joy).

Christmas Day
25th Dec 2011

CHRISTMAS
Begins with Christmas Eve Mass.
Celebrates the birthday of our Lord
Jesus Christ the Word became flesh
& dwelt among us John 1:14.
A holy day of rejoicing & thanksgiving.
Christmas season lasts till Feast of the
Baptism of Jesus.

CHRISTMAS
During this season we celebrate
Jesus early childhood events:
oFeast of the Holy Family (27 Dec),
oSolemnity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary Mother of God (Jan 1),
oSolemnity of the Epiphany (Jan 8)
Themes: Joy, peace, Christ as Light
of the world, The Incarnation
Liturgical colour: White (purity,
holiness)
Christmas is second in importance to
Easter.

Baptism of the
Lord
9th January 2012

Ordinary Time
Root word ordinal means the counted
weeks.
Begins on the day following Feast of the
Baptism of Our Lord, & ends on the day before
Ash Wed which marks the beginning of Lent.
Next year 2012, Ordinary Time starts 10th Jan,
ends 21st Feb. Ash Wed on 22nd Feb.
This period allows us to reflect on the mysteries
of Christ just celebrated; also provides for
celebration of other solemnities, feasts days &
memorials of Saints of the Church.
Main focus of readings is Christs earthly
ministry.
Liturgical colour: Green symbolizing growth of
spiritual life.

Ash Wednesday
22nd February 2012

Lent & Holy Week

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday
and lasts for 40 days.
Period of penance & purification,
renewed repentance of our sins,
a new turning to God, to get
ourselves ready to celebrate
Easter.
On Ash Wed we put ashes on our
foreheads to signify repentance
& sorrow for our sins.
During Lent we perform acts of
penance includes fasting &
abstinence, prayers, sacrifices &
almsgiving.

Palm Sunday
1st April 2012

Holy week
ASH
WED

Passion Sun
(Palm Sunday)

Holy
Thursday

LENT
Chrism Mass
+ Prayer (God)
+ Fasting (Self)
Mass of the
+ Almsgiving(Neighbour) Lords Supper

Good
Friday

Holy
Sat

Service

Vigil

Veneration
of the Cross

Mass
(Baptism)

Holy week recalls Jesus passage from life & death to the
glory of his resurrection.
Holy week starts with Palm Sunday & ends in the 3 days
of Easter Triduum Holy Thursday, Good Friday & Holy
Saturday

Good Friday 6 April

Holy Saturday 7 April
Easter Sunday 8 April

Holy Thursday recalls Jesus last supper with

His disciples, when He instituted the
Sacrament of the Eucharist & the Holy Order
of Priesthood.
Good Friday commemorates his sufferings &
death. On this day Mass is not celebrated,
only a communion service, where the cross is
venerated.
Holy Saturday commemorates the day Jesus
lay in the tomb. There is no daytime Mass,
until midnight when the Easter Vigil Mass is
celebrated - Christ has risen from the dead,
conquering death!
This marks the beginning of Easter.

EASTER!!!
Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.
The Pascal Candle is lighted to signify
that Christ as Light of the world has
triumphed over sin & death.
Themes: New life in Christ, Light,
Christian victory
Liturgical colour: White, often with gold.
During Vigil Mass, the singing of the
Gloria & the Alleluia ring out with the
bells ringing, to express our joy

EASTER!!!
The Easter event of God raising Jesus
to life is crucial to the Christian faith.
Through the resurrection of Jesus,
Christians believe that God our Creator
offers salvation & hope to all humanity.
Traditionally, it is also the time for all
catechumens to be baptized on Easter
Vigil.
Easter season lasts for 50 days, ending
on Pentecost Sunday.

Pentecost Sunday
27th May 2012

Ordinary Time 2
After Pentecost we enter Ordinary Time
again.
During this period, the mystery of Christ in
all its fullness is celebrated & reflected on.
Special Sunday celebrations like Holy
Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi & Christ the
King, help accomplish this purpose.
Solemnity of Christ the King marks the end
of the Church Year, & a new cycle begins.
Themes: Growth, journey in Christ
Liturgical colour: Green

Christ the
King
25th Nov 2012

PENTECOST
Pentecost it is
the day when the
Church
celebrates the
coming down of
the Holy Spirit
upon the
apostles
It is celebrated
on the Sunday
following the 50th
day after Easter.

This is also the day we

celebrate the birth of the
Church.

1. What is the first day of the Liturgical Year.

2. When is the start of Lent?
3. How many days are there in Lenten season?
4. What is the most important day in the Liturgical
calendar?
5. When is the day Jesus instituted the Eucharist and
Priesthood?
6. When does the Easter season end?
7. When is the feastday we celebrate the rising of Jesus
to heaven?
8. The book containing the readings of the week which is
used during the Mass?
9. The day Jesus suffered and died on the Cross?
10.The day when the Christmas Season ends?

BREAK
TIME !!!

Liturgical celebrations are grouped into 3 categories, by

order of importance:Solemnities: Highest order. Commemorate an event, a
person or a belief of the highest significance in salvation
history e.g. Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Christ the
King, the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Feast Days: Commemorate the astonishing actions of God;
give him thanks for them; perpetuate their
remembrance & teach new generations to conform their
conduct to them e.g. Feast of the Holy Family, Baptism
of Jesus, Birth of Mary.
Memorials: Give glory to God for martyrs & Saints, whose
examples encourage the faithful on their pilgrim journey
to the heavenly Father e.g. St. Francis Xavier (Dec 3),
St Anthony of Padua (June 13)

THE LECTIONARY CYCLE

The Lectionary is a book of
Scripture readings used during
Mass.
Term means gathering or
selection of readings.
Every day of the year
appropriate Scripture texts are
prescribed & proclaimed in our
Masses. This is the Lectionary
Cycle.

THE LECTIONARY CYCLE

Sundays
3 Readings:
1st OT, 2nd NT; 3rd Gospel
Responsorial Psalm after the 1st
reading
3-year cycle.
A: Mathew; B: Mark; C: Luke
Weekdays
2 Readings:
1st OT or NT; 2nd Gopsel
Responsorial Psalm after the 1st
reading
2-year cycle 1 & 2.

Ordinary
Time

Advent
Christmas
Ordinary
Time

Easter

Lent
Holy
Wee
k

light
innocence
purity
joy
triumph

Ordinary
Time

Advent
Christmas
Ordinary
Time

Easter

Lent
Holy
Wee
k

the Passion
blood
fire
God's Love
martyrdom

Ordinary
Time

Advent
Christmas
Ordinary
Time

Easter

Lent
Holy
Wee
k

Ordinary
Time

Advent
Christmas
Ordinary
Time

Easter

Lent
Holy
Wee
k

Ordinary
Time

Advent
Christmas
Ordinary
Time

Easter

Lent
Holy
Wee
k

Ordinary
Time

Advent
Christmas
Ordinary
Time

Easter

Lent
Holy
Wee
k

The Deeper Meaning

Recalling the mysteries of redemption, the

Church opens to the faithful the riches of the
Lords powers and merits, so that these are in
some way made present in every age in order
that the faithful may lay hold on them and be filled
with saving grace (Constitution on the Liturgy,
102).

LITURGICAL YEAR
Restoring Sacred Time
Remembering the Past
The Present Offer of Grace
The Divine Future

Test Your Kn`owledge

1. What are the three days of Easter Triduum?
2. The day when the Christmas season ends?
3. He is at the center of the Liturgical celebration in the
Catholic Church?
4. The color of the Lenten Season?
5. The Liturgical color of this Season is green?
6. The color of Ordinary Season?
7. These are the liturgical celebrations of highest
significance in salvation history?
8. The last day of the liturgical year?
9. The season when we wait for the coming of the
Messiah?
10. The 40 days of preparation for the paschal mystery of
Christ?

THANK YOU & GOD BLESS

ALWAYS !!!