Question: Is Immaculate Conception a Holy Day of Obligation?
In the United States and other countries, the bishops have received permission from the Vatican to abrogate (temporarily waive) the requirement for Catholics to attend Mass on certain Holy Day of Obligation, when those Holy Days fall on either Saturday or Monday. Because of this, some Catholics have become confused about whether certain Holy Days are, in fact, Holy Days of Obligation. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is one such holy day.
Answer: The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast of the United States, is a Holy Day of Obligation. Because this feast honoring Mary, the Mother of God, celebrates one of the most important events in salvation history, it is never abrogated, even when it falls on a Saturday or a Monday.
