Pentecost 2027: Date, Meaning, Readings and Prayers

Pentecost Sunday 2027 falls on May 16, fifty days after Easter. On Pentecost the Church celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the apostles in the upper room in Jerusalem, often called the birthday of the Church. It is the solemn close of the fifty days of Easter. The liturgical color is red, for the tongues of fire.

Below: what Pentecost means, the readings for 2027, the Golden Sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus, the hymn Veni Creator, how to celebrate, and prayers.

Pentecost 2027 at a glance


Date	Sunday, May 16, 2027
Vigil Mass	Saturday evening, May 15 (an extended vigil with several readings is possible)
Color	Red
Sequence	Veni, Sancte Spiritus (required)
Readings (Mass during the Day)	Acts 2:1–11; Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12:3b–7, 12–13 (or Galatians 5:16–25); John 20:19–23 (or John 15:26–27; 16:12–15)
The next day	Monday, May 17, 2027: Mary, Mother of the Church
Then	Ordinary Time resumes; Trinity Sunday on May 23

What happened at Pentecost

And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place:
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them:
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak.

Pentecost means “fiftieth” in Greek. It was a Jewish harvest feast, fifty days after Passover, when Jews from every nation came to Jerusalem. On that day, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, Peter preached, and about three thousand people were baptized (Acts 2:41). “On the day of Pentecost when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ’s Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit” (Catechism 731).

The Pentecost Sequence: Veni, Sancte Spiritus

The “Golden Sequence,” attributed to Archbishop Stephen Langton (thirteenth century), is sung before the Gospel at Pentecost:

Holy Spirit! Lord of light!
From Thy clear celestial height,
Thy pure, beaming radiance give:

Come, Thou Father of the poor!
Come, with treasures which endure!
Come, Thou light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best.
Visiting the troubled breast,
Dost refreshing peace bestow:

Thou in toil art comfort sweet;
Pleasant coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal! light divine!
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill.

If Thou take Thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay;
All his good is turn’d to ill.

Heal our wounds — our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on those who evermore
Thee confess and Thee adore,
In Thy sevenfold gifts descend.

Give them comfort when they die;
Give them life with Thee on high;
Give them joys which never end. Amen.

The hymn Veni Creator Spiritus

Sung at Pentecost, at confirmations and ordinations, and on January 1:

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come,
From Thy bright, heavenly throne;
Come, take possession of our souls.
And make them all Thine own.

Thou Who art called the Paraclete,
Best gift of God above;
The living spring, the living fire.
Sweet unction and true love.

Thou Who art sevenfold in Thy grace,
Finger of God’s right hand,
His promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand.

Oh! guide our minds with Thy blest light.
With love our hearts inflame;
And with Thy strength, which ne’er decays,
Confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our hellish foe,
True peace unto us bring;
And through all perils lead us safe
Beneath Thy sacred wing.

Through Thee may we the Father know,
Through Thee, th’ eternal Son,
And Thee, the Spirit of them both —
Thrice-blessed Three in one.

All glory to the Father be,
And to His risen Son,
The like to Thee, great Paraclete.
While endless ages run.
Amen.

How to celebrate Pentecost

Pray the novena to the Holy Spirit beforehand, from May 7 to 15, 2027. See the novena to the Holy Spirit.
Wear red to Mass, the color of the Holy Spirit’s fire.
Pray the Come, Holy Spirit prayer as a family. See Come, Holy Spirit.
Renew your confirmation: thank God for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and ask for the fruits.
Celebrate the Church’s birthday with a cake, especially with children.
Bless your home and pray for missionaries, who carry the Gospel “to every nation under heaven.”

A prayer for Pentecost

Written for this page:

Come, Holy Spirit, as you came upon Mary and the apostles.
Set our hearts on fire with your love,
give us your seven gifts and bring forth your fruits in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience and kindness.
Make us bold witnesses of Jesus Christ,
and renew the face of the earth. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

When is Pentecost 2027?

Sunday, May 16, 2027. In 2028 it is June 4.

Is Pentecost a holy day of obligation?

It is always a Sunday, so yes: Catholics attend Mass as on every Sunday.

What is Pentecost Monday?

Since 2018, the Monday after Pentecost is the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church (May 17, 2027). In many European countries it is also a public holiday.

When does the Easter season end?

With Evening Prayer on Pentecost Sunday. The paschal candle is then moved to the baptistery, and Ordinary Time resumes.

More pages for the Easter season

Texts and sources

Scripture: Acts 2:1–4, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain. Reading references follow the Lectionary for Mass, Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the Day.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus and Veni Creator: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Devotions to the Holy Ghost, public domain (Wikisource).
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 731.
Congregation for Divine Worship, decree on the memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church (February 11, 2018).
The prayer was written for this page.