General Roman Calendar of 1960

This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as reformed on 23 July 1960 by Pope John XXIII's motu proprio Rubricarum instructum. This 1960 calendar was incorporated into the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal, continued use of which Pope Benedict XVI authorized in his 7 July 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum as an "extraordinary form of the Roman Rite".

Rubricarum instructum replaced the former classifications of Doubles, Semidoubles, and Simples with I, II, and III class feasts and commemorations. It removed a few feasts, in particular duplications such as the Feast of the Cross (3 May and 14 September), the Chair of Peter (18 January and 22 February), Saint Peter (1 August and 29 June), Saint John the Evangelist (6 May and 27 December), Saint Michael (8 May and 29 September), and Saint Stephen (3 August and 26 December).

This calendar is distinct from the General Roman Calendar of 1954 in that it also incorporates the changes made by Pope Pius XII in 1955, which included the reduction of octaves to three only, those of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.[1] See General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII.

Changes to the Calendar

Feasts previously ranked as doubles of the I class were reclassified as feasts of the I class. Feasts previously ranked as doubles of the II class were reclassified as feasts of the II class. Feasts previously ranked as greater doubles, doubles, and simples were reclassified as feasts of the III class. Feasts that had formerly been ranked as simples and had been reduced to commemorations in Pius XII's 1955 revision of the calendar remained commemorations.

The Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Passiontide, and Low Sunday were classified as Sundays of the I class. All other Sundays of the year—excluding those perpetually impeded by feasts of the I class—became Sundays of the II class.

Ash Wednesday, the ferias of Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and the days within the octaves of Easter and Pentecost were classified as ferias of the I class. The ferias of Advent from 17–23 December inclusive, the days within the octave of Christmas not impeded by the feasts of saints (29–31 December inclusive), as well as the Ember Days of Advent, Lent, and September were ranked as ferias of the II class. The ferias of Advent, excluding 17–23 December, were ranked as ferias of the III class, as were the ferias of Lent and Passiontide. The remaining ferias of the year were classified ferias of the IV class.

The following feasts were reduced to commemorations:

The following became liturgical days of the I class:

The following became liturgical days of the II class:

The following feasts were deleted from the calendar:

The commemoration of St. Vitalis, Martyr (28 April) was likewise deleted.

The following feasts were inscribed in the calendar:

The following feasts were transferred:

The commemoration of Sts. Sergius, Bacchus, Marcellus, and Apuleius, Martyrs, was transferred from 7 to 8 October.

The following titles were changed:

The remaining changes are listed in the calendar below.

January

Sunday between the octave of the Nativity of the Lord and the Epiphany, or, with this lacking, 2 January: The most holy Name of Jesus, II class.
I Sunday after Epiphany: The most holy Family of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, II class.

February

In leap year the month of February is of 29 days, and the feast of St. Matthias is celebrated on the 25th day and the feast of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows on the 28th day of February, and twice is said Sexto Kalendas, that is on the 24th and 25th; and the dominical letter, which was taken up in the month of January, is changed to the preceding; that, if in January, the dominical letter was A, it is changed to the preceding, which is g, etc.; and the letter f is kept twice, on the 24th and 25th.[2]

March

Friday after the I Sunday of Passiontide: Commemoration of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Comm.

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

Last Sunday in October: Our Lord Jesus Christ the King, I class.

November

December

See also

References

  1. General decree Cum nostra of the Sacred Congregation of Rites
  2. Kalendarium, Missale Romanum: "In anno bissextili mensis februarius est dierum 29, et festum S. Matthiae celebratur die 25 ac festum S. Gabrielis a Virgine Perdolente die 28 februarii, et bis dicitur Sexto Kalendas, id est die 24 et die 25; et littera dominicalis, quae assumpta fuit in mense ianuario, mutatur in praecedentem; ut, si in Januario, littera dominicalis fuerit A, mutetur in praecedentem, quae est g, etc.; et littera f bis servit, 24 et 25.