Memorial

[DominaNostra]

What is a memorial? I know that we celebrate Saint days, but I have heard them called feasts, like in other countries they will celebrate a Saint "feast" but what is a memorial and whats the difference?

[cappie]

It's just a matter of terminology, originally all days were called feasts, but with the reform of the calandar, the terminology was changed with the names now being Feasts for important saints such as St Matthew,and memorials either optional or obligatory for "lesser" saints.

In the "old" calandar there were Feasts that were ranked according to class of importance.

1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class 4th Class or commemoration. The last designation refers to some feasts that did not receive full liturgical selebration in the Missal.

In 1969 the Roman Calandar was revised and simplified.

There are now Solemnities of the Lord such as every Sunday, Holy Trinity, important days such as the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul, St Joseph, The Assumption, etc these are added to by the local Bishops to include such days as the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral, the patron of the diocese.

Other days are divided into obligatory memorials and optional memorials. These are as the names suggest either compulsory or optional. Usually they rank in importance e.g. saints of universal appeal or historical appeal St Agatha, St Athanasius, St Philip Neri, St Benedict, St Anthony. The optional ones are perhaps less known but have some importance either to some region or some time in history e.g. Sts John Fisher & Thomas More, St Wenceslaus, St Margaret Mary.

The Universal Calandar is set up by the Congregation in Rome but local dioceses may add saints from the Roman List, e.g. Blessed Mary Mackillop, the founder in Australia of the Sisters of St Joseph is important to Australian Catholics and so is celebrated on August 8th.

Religious orders such as the Franciscan or Benedictines have their own lists of Saints that they celebrate throughout the year, but of course all saints must be approved by the Sacred Congregation. E.g we celebrate St Francis Mary Camparosso, a Capuchin on September 19th, but you won't find it in the General Roman Calandar. The Pope also has the power to add to the General Roman Calandar e.g. The Pope made the memorial of Padre Pio obligatory for the whole Catholic Church.