The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord celebrates Jesus’ return to the Father forty days after his Resurrection. In 2027 it falls on Thursday, May 6, forty days after Easter (March 28). In most dioceses of the United States it is transferred to the following Sunday, May 9, 2027; where it stays on Thursday, it is a holy day of obligation.
Below: the date in your diocese, what the Ascension means, the readings for 2027, how to celebrate, and the novena to the Holy Spirit that begins the next day.
Ascension 2027 at a glance
| Traditional date | Thursday, May 6, 2027 (40 days after Easter) |
| Most US dioceses | Sunday, May 9, 2027 (replaces the Seventh Sunday of Easter) |
| Kept on Thursday (holy day of obligation) | Ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha and Philadelphia |
| Color | White |
| Readings (Year B) | Acts 1:1–11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:17–23 (or 4:1–13); Mark 16:15–20 |
| Next | Novena to the Holy Spirit (May 7–15) and Pentecost (May 16) |
Check your diocese’s calendar or parish bulletin to be sure which day your diocese keeps.
What the Ascension means
St. Luke describes the Ascension at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles:
And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight.
And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments.
Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you have seen him going into heaven.
The Ascension does not mean that Jesus left us. It means that the risen Christ, true God and true man, entered with his human body into the glory of God, where he “sits at the right hand of the Father,” always interceding for us (Catechism 659–664). Where the Head has gone, the members hope to follow. Before ascending, he gave the apostles their mission:
And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues.
They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.
And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God.
But they going forth preached everywhere: the Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed.
Is the Ascension a holy day of obligation?
Yes, it is one of the holy days of obligation in the universal law of the Church (canon 1246). In the United States, the bishops of most ecclesiastical provinces have transferred it to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, so Sunday Mass fulfills the obligation. In the provinces that keep it on Thursday (Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha and Philadelphia), Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on Thursday, May 6, 2027. See holy days of obligation.
How to celebrate the Ascension
- Go to Mass on the day your diocese keeps the feast.
- Begin the novena to the Holy Spirit the next day, as the apostles did with Mary in the upper room. See the novena to the Holy Spirit.
- Pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary; the second mystery is the Ascension. See the Glorious Mysteries.
- Look up: in some places families have a picnic on a hill or go outdoors to pray, remembering that “you shall be witnesses unto me… even to the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
A prayer for Ascension Day
Written for this page:
Lord Jesus, you ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us.
Lift up our hearts to where you are,
and send your Holy Spirit to make us your witnesses on earth.
While we wait for your return, keep us faithful, joyful and busy with your work. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
When is Ascension Day 2027?
Thursday, May 6, 2027, forty days after Easter. In most US dioceses it is celebrated on Sunday, May 9, 2027.
Why forty days after Easter?
Because Jesus “shewed himself alive after his passion… for forty days appearing to them” (Acts 1:3) before he ascended.
Is Ascension Thursday a holiday?
In many European countries (Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Switzerland) it is a public holiday. In the United States it is not.
What is the difference between the Ascension and the Assumption?
At the Ascension, Jesus rose into heaven by his own power. At the Assumption (August 15), Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven by God’s power.
More Easter season pages
- Psalm 68 (Let God arise)
- Psalm 47 (the Ascension psalm)
- Easter 2027
- Novena to the Holy Spirit
- Pentecost 2027
- Catholic Easter prayers
- Holy days of obligation
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Acts 1:3, 8, 9–11; Mark 16:15–20, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain. Reading references follow the Lectionary for Mass, the Ascension of the Lord, Year B.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 659–664.
- Code of Canon Law, canon 1246; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, complementary norm on holy days of obligation (1991) and the transfer of the Ascension (1999).
- The prayer was written for this page.