U.S. Catholic Primates Reject the Dropping of 4 Holy Days

U.S. Roman Catholic bishops Wednesday rejected proposals to drop four of the church’s six holy days of obligation in an emotional debate over the role of the church in the modern world.

A majority of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to move Ascension Thursday to a Sunday and eliminate the holy day honoring the Virgin Mary on Jan. 1, but fell short of the two-thirds approval needed for the changes.

Backers of the plan to reduce the number of holy days failed to gain even a majority to drop All Saints Day on Nov. 1 or the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary to heaven on Aug. 15 despite arguing that nearly 14 million regular churchgoers already disregard the requirement that they attend Mass on holy days.

“People are not taking the obligation seriously,” said Bishop Michael Kenny of Juneau, Alaska.

But other bishops, including a bloc of the nation’s most prominent prelates, argued that reducing the number of holy days would be surrendering to an increasingly secular American lifestyle.

“We need to retain these few signs of Catholic identity,” said Archbishop Anthony J. Bevilacqua of Philadelphia.

On the third day of their four-day fall meeting, the bishops also rejected proposed norms on lay preaching that would have allowed Catholics who are not members of the clergy but who have “special expertise” to preach at liturgies.

The bishops’ debate on holy days revolved around whether Catholics should have a grave moral obligation to attend Mass other than on Sundays in an age when demanding work and family commitments have led many to stay away.

About a quarter of the nation’s 55 million Catholics attend most holy day services while about half the Catholic population attends Mass on Sunday, church officials say.

“Is it prudent to burden the consciences of our people?” asked Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco. “It seems to me it would be better not to burden the consciences of our people.”

But several prelates argued that the holy days remain a powerful symbol of faith.

The meeting concludes today, when the bishops are scheduled to consider policy statements on the environment, the plight of needy children and the concerns of American Indians.