Baptism of the Lord

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The Baptism of the Lord (or the Baptism of Christ) is the name of a feast day observed in the Roman Catholic Church and in churches of the Anglican Communion. The feast commemorates the baptism of Jesus by St John the Baptist.

In most parts of the Roman Catholic Church, the feast is observed on the first Sunday after Epiphany (6 January). In the United States, however, Epiphany is observed on the Sunday after the first Saturday in January. If 7 January or 8 January is a Sunday, to avoid the Baptism of the Lord falling too late it is observed on the following Monday. In this case it is not made a holy day of obligation.

The Catholic pre-Vatican II calendar had this feast on 13 January, the old octave day of Epiphany, which was fixed on January 6.

In the Church of England, Epiphany may be observed on 6 January or, if that day is not a Sunday, on the following Sunday. If Epiphany is observed on a day that is not a Sunday, the Baptism of Christ is observed on the following Sunday. If Epiphany is observed on a Sunday, the Baptism of Christ is observed on the following Monday.

In the Roman Catholic Church, the day after the Baptism of the Lord marks the start of the first period of ordinary time. In the Church of England, ordinary time does not begin until the day after the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas).