The Roman Calendar. THE Calendar is a Table containing the Feasts which ar÷ ept during the year. They are of two sorts: some are affixed to certain days, and are called immovable; others have no fixed days, and are called movable. The immova ble feasts have been carefully distinguished in the Calendar Those which are of obligation, are printed in large capitala those of peculiar devotion in smaller ones; the others in or dinary types. Those which are not found in the Roman office are in italic letters. Most of the movable feasts depend upon the feast of Easter which is regulated by the full moon of the vernal equinox A compendious table of these feasts is here affixed. The first Council of Nice, held in the year 325, decreed that the feast of Easter should be celebrated on the Sunday follow ng the full moon, which falls either on the 21st of March (which was looked upon, at that time, as the day of the equinox), or on the days following, till the 18th of April Hence, if the full moon fall on the 21st of March, and this be a Saturday, the next day will be Easter-Sunday. fall on the 20th, this moon will not be considered the pas chal moon: the next full moon only, which will be on the 18th of April, can be reckoned such. Should this 18th of April be a Sunday, Easter would be the Sunday following, or the 25th of April. Easter, then, can be no later than the 25th of April, nor earlier than the 22d of March. But if it The Dominical Letters are used to indicate the Sundaye throughout the year. They are seven in number, corre sponding to the seven days of the week, and are changed annually. In leap-year two are set down. The first indi cates the Sundays till the 25th of February—the other during the remaining part of the year. The Golden Number is contained in a cycle of 19 years In this cycle the new moons return, in a regular succession, to the same days in which they were in the preceding cycle. Hence the different numbers of the Epact, which is used to lesgnate the new moon, and to determine the feast c Easter, always correspond with the same golden numbers in every cycle. The Indiction is a revolution of fifteen years, from 1 to 15, which being completed, the cycle again returns to 1, and each year of this cycle dates its commencement from January, in the Pontifical Bulls; and since the Indiction is of frequent use in diplomatic transactions and public reo ords, a table of the years of the Indiction, corresponding to each current year, has been inserted in the Table of Mova ble Feasts. JANUARY,-HAS XXXI DAYS. So called, because it was dedicated to the God, Janus. Zodiacal Sign-Aquarius, The Waterbearer. + CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD, J. +8. Fulgentius, B. C.-Oct. S. Stephen & Comm. Oct. 8. John, A. and SS. Innocents, D. + S. Genevieve, V.-Oct. S. John, D. and Comm. 88. + S. Titus, B. of Crete.-Oct. SS. Innocents, Du. S. Lucian, Pr. M.-Of the Oct. of Epiphany, SDr. ! S. Hilary, B. C., SDu.-Comm. of S. Felix, Pr. M. S. Anthony, Ab., Du. Chair of S. Peter at Rome, D.-Comm. of S. Prisca, V. S. Canute, K. of Den. M., SDu.-Comm of SS. Marius, 88. Fabian and Sebastian, MM., SDu. S. Agnes, V. M., Du. SS. Vincent and Anastasius, MM., SDu. S. Raymond of Pennafort, C., Du.-Comm. of 8. Eme rantiana, V. M. S. Timothy, B. M., SDu. Conversion of S. Paul, A., Du.-Comm. of 8. Peter, A. S. Polycarp, B. M., SDu. S. John Chrysostom, B. C., Du. S. Flavian, M.-2d Comm. of S. Agnes, V. M. S. Francis of Sales, B. C., Du. S. Martina, V. M., SDu. S. Peter Nolasco, C., Du. On the Second Sunday after Epiphany, the MOST HOLY NAME OF Du. with the commemoration of that Sunday. N. 3. The days marked with a + are days of Plenary Indulgence. |