Holy Days
Holy Days of Obligation which are Solemnities of the Lord (other than Christmas Day) are to be moved to Sundays. This means that the Epiphany, the Ascension of the Lord and Corpus Christi will now be celebrated on Sunday. The Bishops of England and Wales decided to transfer these Holidays of Obligation to Sunday in response to requests from the Diocesan Councils of Priests and many others.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, President of the Bishops' Conference, stated: "The Bishops commend this as an opportunity for Catholics to deepen, through catechesis and celebration, their faith and understanding of these mysteries of the life of Christ." The current practice is retained with regard to other Holy Days of Obligation. In other words, Christmas Day, The Apostles Peter and Paul, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and All Saints will continue to be celebrated as at present. With the exception of Christmas Day, the discipline in England and Wales is that when these days fall on a Saturday or Monday they are transferred to Sunday. The Bishops call on all Catholics to observe these celebrations. The Holy See approved these changes to the calendar on 13 July 2006 and they took effect on 3 December, the First Sunday of Advent.
Further details: England Wales - Holy Days of Obligation.