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| Blessed Virgin Mary Icon, dated to before 750AD, stolen in Wellington in the 1960's. |
On Monday Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when she was taken up into Heaven, body and soul, when she had completed her earthly life.
This day is a Holy Day of Obligation for all Catholics in New Zealand, which means we all need to go to Mass just as if it were Sunday or Christmas. The Assumption is also the Patronal Feast for New Zealand.
So, given all that, you'd think that a big deal would be made in Parish bulletins and websites alerting people to the fact that they need to incorporate Mass into their schedules on Monday. But no, have found no parish that even mentions that people need to be turning up on Monday.
I've checked a few major parishes in Wellington and very few have online newsletters or keep their websites up to date. In Wellington, the current newsletter for the Cathedral is dated April 3, so can't tell if Monday is mentioned. St Mary of the Angels just has an advertisement up for a public lecture talk on the 17th by Fr Justin Taylor on their home page. Saints Peter and Paul in Lower Hutt have a What's On in our parish page, but nothing about the Assumption either. If anyone knows of any parish anywhere in New Zealand that is actually making a big deal of the Assumption of Our Lady on Monday, please let me know.
Update 2: A reader has informed me that his priest of the Holy Cross parish in Miramar told the congregation last Sunday about the upcoming Holy Day of obligation. So, big kudos to Fr Purcell.
Related link: Pompallier Madonna