ASCENSION FEAST

Historically, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord was celebrated on the 40th day after Easter Sunday, a Thursday. However, in recent history, attendance at Ascension Thursday Masses was declining. Consequently, with the approval by the Holy See, the feast may be transferred to a Sunday. In the U.S., most ecclesiastical provinces (*) have transferred the celebration of the Ascension to Sunday except Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, and Omaha. (*) Ecclesiastical province is an archdiocese and other dioceses that are bound to it through geography or history. The Ecclesiastical Province of San Francisco includes these dioceses: San Francisco, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Oakland, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Stockton.