The Catholic liturgical year 2026–2027 begins on the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2026, and ends with Christ the King on November 21, 2027. Its Sunday readings follow Year B (mostly from the Gospel of Mark), and its weekday readings follow Year I. Easter 2027 is March 28, so Lent begins early, on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027.
The dates below follow the General Roman Calendar as observed in the United States. Where a celebration is moved to a Sunday in the U.S. (Epiphany, Ascension, Corpus Christi), both dates are shown.
Today in the liturgical calendar
Today’s season and liturgical color appear here.
The liturgical year 2026–2027 at a glance
| Season | Dates | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Advent | Sunday, November 29 to Thursday, December 24, 2026 | Violet (rose on Gaudete Sunday) |
| Christmas Time | Friday, December 25, 2026 to Sunday, January 10, 2027 | White |
| Ordinary Time (first part) | Monday, January 11 to Tuesday, February 9, 2027 | Green |
| Lent | Ash Wednesday, February 10 to Holy Thursday, March 25, 2027 (before the evening Mass) | Violet (rose on Laetare Sunday) |
| Easter Triduum | Evening of Holy Thursday, March 25 to Easter Sunday evening, March 28, 2027 | White; red on Good Friday |
| Easter Time | Sunday, March 28 to Pentecost Sunday, May 16, 2027 | White; red on Pentecost |
| Ordinary Time (second part) | Monday, May 17 to Saturday, November 27, 2027 | Green |
| Advent 2027 | Begins Sunday, November 28, 2027 (Year C) | Violet |
The rest of 2026
The liturgical year 2025–2026 (Year A) ends on November 28, 2026.
| Date | Celebration | Rank and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, November 1 | All Saints | Solemnity; replaces the Sunday |
| Monday, November 2 | All Souls Day | The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed |
| Monday, November 9 | Dedication of the Lateran Basilica | Feast |
| Sunday, November 22 | Christ the King | Solemnity; last Sunday of the year |
| Thursday, November 26 | Thanksgiving Day (U.S.) | Proper Mass for Thanksgiving; see Thanksgiving prayers |
| Sunday, November 29 | First Sunday of Advent | Year B and weekday Year I begin |
| Tuesday, December 8 | Immaculate Conception | Solemnity; holy day of obligation |
| Saturday, December 12 | Our Lady of Guadalupe | Feast in the U.S. |
| Sunday, December 13 | Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) | Rose vestments may be worn |
| Thursday, December 17 | Late Advent begins | The O Antiphons are sung December 17–23 |
| Friday, December 25 | Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord | Solemnity; holy day of obligation |
| Saturday, December 26 | St. Stephen, first martyr | Feast |
| Sunday, December 27 | The Holy Family | Feast |
| Monday, December 28 | The Holy Innocents | Feast |
Key dates in 2027
| Date | Celebration | Rank and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, January 1 | Mary, Mother of God | Solemnity; holy day of obligation |
| Sunday, January 3 | The Epiphany of the Lord (U.S.) | Solemnity; January 6 in many other countries |
| Sunday, January 10 | The Baptism of the Lord | Feast; Christmas Time ends |
| Tuesday, February 2 | The Presentation of the Lord | Feast (Candlemas) |
| Wednesday, February 10 | Ash Wednesday | Day of fasting and abstinence |
| Sunday, March 7 | Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare) | Rose vestments may be worn |
| Friday, March 19 | St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Solemnity |
| Sunday, March 21 | Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord | Holy Week begins |
| Thursday, March 25 | Holy Thursday | Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper |
| Friday, March 26 | Good Friday | Day of fasting and abstinence |
| Saturday, March 27 | Holy Saturday; the Easter Vigil after nightfall | |
| Sunday, March 28 | Easter Sunday | Solemnity of solemnities |
| Sunday, April 4 | Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) | |
| Monday, April 5 | The Annunciation of the Lord | Solemnity, moved from March 25, which falls on Holy Thursday |
| Thursday, May 6, or Sunday, May 9 | The Ascension of the Lord | Thursday only in the provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha and Philadelphia |
| Sunday, May 16 | Pentecost Sunday | Easter Time ends |
| Monday, May 17 | Mary, Mother of the Church | Memorial; Ordinary Time resumes (7th week) |
| Sunday, May 23 | The Most Holy Trinity | Solemnity |
| Thursday, May 27, or Sunday, May 30 | The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) | Sunday in the U.S. |
| Friday, June 4 | The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus | Solemnity |
| Saturday, June 5 | The Immaculate Heart of Mary | Memorial |
| Thursday, June 24 | The Nativity of St. John the Baptist | Solemnity |
| Tuesday, June 29 | Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles | Solemnity |
| Friday, August 6 | The Transfiguration of the Lord | Feast |
| Sunday, August 15 | The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Solemnity; replaces the Sunday |
| Tuesday, September 14 | The Exaltation of the Holy Cross | Feast |
| Wednesday, September 29 | Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels | Feast |
| Saturday, October 2 | The Holy Guardian Angels | Memorial |
| Thursday, October 7 | Our Lady of the Rosary | Memorial |
| Monday, November 1 | All Saints | Solemnity; not obligatory in the U.S. this year because it falls on a Monday |
| Tuesday, November 2 | All Souls Day | |
| Sunday, November 21 | Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe | Solemnity; last Sunday of the year |
| Sunday, November 28 | First Sunday of Advent | Year C begins |
| Wednesday, December 8 | The Immaculate Conception | Holy day of obligation |
| Saturday, December 25 | Christmas | Holy day of obligation; Sunday Mass the next day is a separate obligation |
For which of these days require Mass attendance, see holy days of obligation 2026 and 2027.
Liturgical colors and what they mean
| Color | When it is used | What it expresses |
|---|---|---|
| White (or gold) | Christmas and Easter Time; feasts of the Lord, of Mary, of the angels and of saints who were not martyrs; weddings | Joy, purity, glory |
| Red | Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost, feasts of apostles and martyrs, Confirmation | The blood of martyrs; the fire of the Holy Spirit |
| Green | Ordinary Time | Hope and growth |
| Violet (purple) | Advent and Lent; may be used at funerals | Penance, preparation, waiting |
| Rose | Gaudete Sunday (Advent III) and Laetare Sunday (Lent IV) | Joy breaking through a penitential season |
| Black | May be used at funerals and on All Souls Day | Mourning and prayer for the dead |
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal sets out these uses (GIRM 345–347). In the United States, white, violet or black may be used at funerals.
The Sunday and weekday reading cycles
The Sunday readings follow a three-year cycle, and the weekday first readings a two-year cycle:
| Liturgical year | Sunday cycle | Main Gospel | Weekday cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–2026 (ends November 28, 2026) | Year A | Matthew | Year II |
| 2026–2027 | Year B | Mark (with John 6 in summer) | Year I |
| 2027–2028 | Year C | Luke | Year II |
The Gospel of John is read in all three years during Lent and Easter Time. For the prayers of the faithful for each Sunday, see our Sunday intercessions and daily Mass intercessions.
How the dates are calculated
- Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox (fixed at March 21 for this purpose). In 2027 that is March 28.
- Ash Wednesday is 46 days before Easter; Pentecost is 49 days after.
- Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.
- Christ the King is always the Sunday before Advent.
- Solemnities that fall in Holy Week or the Easter Octave move to after the Octave, which is why the Annunciation moves to April 5 in 2027.
Frequently asked questions
When does the 2027 liturgical year start?
The liturgical year 2026–2027 starts on Sunday, November 29, 2026, the First Sunday of Advent. The following year starts on November 28, 2027.
What liturgical year are we in?
From November 29, 2026 until November 27, 2027, the Church is in Year B of the Sunday cycle and Year I of the weekday cycle.
When is Easter 2027?
Sunday, March 28, 2027. Ash Wednesday is February 10, Palm Sunday is March 21 and Pentecost is May 16.
Why do some calendars show different dates?
Bishops’ conferences may move certain celebrations to Sunday and add national feasts. Religious orders and dioceses also have their own feasts. The dates above follow the U.S. calendar.
Related guides
- Marian feast days
- Feast of the Holy Family
- Saint feast days
- Sunday Mass readings 2026–2027
- Mass readings today
- The liturgical year
- Liturgical colors
- Ordinary Time
- Ascension 2027
- Pentecost 2027
- Corpus Christi 2027
- The Liturgy of the Hours
- Easter 2027
- Lent 2027
- Holy Week 2027
- Gaudete Sunday 2026
- Epiphany house blessing 2027
- Saint of the day: today’s saint and every feast day of the year
- Holy days of obligation 2026 and 2027
- Advent 2026
- Ash Wednesday 2027
- Today’s Rosary mysteries
- Prayers of the Faithful for today
Texts and sources
- Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar (1969), including the table of liturgical days in order of precedence.
- General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 345–347 (liturgical colors).
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America, 2026 and 2027.
- Dates computed from the Gregorian Easter rule and checked against the calendar norms above.