The Church’s liturgical year unfolds the whole mystery of Christ, especially his Passion and Resurrection, while commemorating Mary and the saints as witnesses to salvation. These norms apply in principle to all rites, but their practical regulations govern the Roman Rite. They define the liturgical day, establish Sunday as the Lord’s Day and the week’s primary celebration, and rank observances as Solemnities, Feasts, and Memorials. The table of precedence governs conflicts, transfers, and the use of Vespers.

The Paschal Triduum, Easter Vigil, Easter octave, Lent, Holy Week, Christmas Time, Advent, and Ordinary Time receive detailed rules concerning their duration, priorities, fasting, vigils, and liturgical signs. The calendar also regulates universal and particular celebrations, allowing dioceses, nations, religious institutes, and individual churches to honor locally significant saints while preserving the primacy of the universal cycle. Rogation and Ember Days may be adapted by episcopal conferences and celebrated with Masses for Various Needs. The reform seeks to prevent an accumulation of devotions and festivals from obscuring Christ’s saving mysteries, while displaying the universal reach of holiness through a carefully limited General Roman Calendar.