Complete List of Roman Catholic Holy Days for 2009

The calendar of Roman Catholic holy days each year kicks off with New Year's Day itself. Here is the list of the holy days of obligation plus the moveable feasts (holy days whose dates vary each year) for 2009, according to About.com.

1. New Year's Day (January 1): This holy day is devoted to Mary, Mother of God. Most parishes offer Catholics the option of attending mass on New Year's Eve as well as on January 1.

2. Ash Wednesday (February 25): This marks the first day of Lent, which is the season of preparation for Christ's resurrection. On this moveable feast, Catholics are encouraged to attend mass and receive the imposition of ashes of their foreheads.

3. Palm Sunday (April 5): The Sunday before Easter, it marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

4. Holy Thursday (April 9): Also known as Maundy Thursday in some Protestant denominations, it celebrates Christ's Last Supper with his disciples, four days after he arrived in Jerusalem. The intent of this moveable feast is to recall the beginnings of the Eucharist, the priesthood and the sacrament of the Mass.

5. Good Friday (April 10): Christians throughout the world mark the passion and death of Jesus as he was crucified. Catholic parishes have an afternoon liturgy sometimes followed by an evening observance featuring reflection at each station of the cross and the Eucharist. Note that Catholics are required to fast and abstain from meat on Good Friday.

6. Holy Saturday (April 11): On the day before Easter, Catholic churches strip their sanctuaries and hold no masses. At dusk, preparations for the Easter vigil begin. During the vigil, the Church receives new members.

7. Easter (April 12): Most Catholics and many other Christians mark Easter Sunday as the number one feast in the Christian calendar. It celebrates Christ's resurrection from the dead and earning for his followers the chance at an eternal life with God. This holy day ends 40 days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. If Catholics wish to remain in good standing with the Church, they must meet the requirement of receiving the Eucharist a minimum of once during the Easter season.

8. Divine Mercy Sunday (April 19): This feast is one of the newer ones on the Catholic liturgical calendar and was introduced by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000. The Sunday after Easter, it marks the celebration of the divine mercy of Christ. It began on the date on which Saint Faustina was canonized.

9. Ascension (May 21): The observance of this holy day of obligation has been transferred to Sunday, May 24, 2009. Catholics observe Christ's ascension 40 days after He was resurrected. It's considered the final act of redemption that He started on Good Friday and commemorates his bodily ascension into Heaven as the Apostles watched.

10. Pentecost (May 31): Pentecost is one of the oldest sacred feasts found in Scripture. For Catholics, it takes the place of the Jewish feast by the same name. The original Pentecost occurred 50 days after Passover and commemorated the sealing of the first covenant on Mount Sinai. Jesus had promised His Apostles that he would send the Holy Spirit to them. They received the gifts of the spirit on Pentecost and then started to preach in all the varied languages of the people listening that day. Pentecost is also referred to the birthday of the Church because it marked the beginning of the New Covenant.

11. Trinity Sunday (June 7): Occurring just a week after Pentecost, this moveable feast marks the Christian belief in the mystery of the Trinity, namely, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all equally God and invisible.

12. Corpus Christi (June 11): For 2009, its commemoration has been transferred to Sunday, June 14. The Feast of Corpus Christy dates from the 13^th century and recalls the inception of the sacrament of Holy Communion during the Last Supper.

13. Assumption of Mary (August 15): This a holy day of obligation occurs on the same date each year. It's a very old feast and marks the assumption of Mary's body into Heaven before her remains began to decompose. Mary's assumption at the end of her life is part of the dogma of the Catholic Church. Since this holy day of obligation occurs on a Saturday, the obligation has been in essence erased for 2009.

14. All Saints Day (November 1): In 2009, this holy day of obligation falls on a Sunday. Another feast that dates from the early Christian observance of each saint's martyrdom, it's observed immediately after Hallowe'en. During the Christian persecutions near the end of the Roman Empire, there were so many martyrdoms that dioceses elected to observe a common feast day.

15. First Sunday of Advent (November 29): Known as the feast of St. Andrew, this moveable feast begins the solemn season of Advent. It's always four Sundays before Christmas Day. While the secular world treats Advent as a joyful time for giving gifts and celebrating the season, the Catholic Church marks it is a period for prayer, fasting and confession.

16. Immaculate Conception (December 8): The date never changes for this holy day of obligation, which honors the immaculate conception of Mary. One of the Catholic Church's official doctrines is that Mary was created and born in a sinless condition as befitting the mother of Christ. A common misconception is that the Feast of the Immaculate Conception somehow commemorates the conception of Christ.

17. Christmas (December 25): It occurs on Friday in 2009 and is also a holy day of oblation to celebrate the birth of Christ. The word "Christmas" is a shortened form of "Christ's mass."