Vatican Releases Calendar of Upcoming Papal Liturgies

Vatican, Jan 10, 2025: The Vatican’s Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has released Pope Leo’s liturgical calendar for January and February 2026. Over the next two months, the Pope is scheduled to preside at liturgies for the Conversion of St Paul, the Presentation of the Lord, and Ash Wednesday.

On January 25, Pope Leo will go to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls to preside at Second Vespers for the Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul. The liturgy will conclude the 59th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year focuses on a passage from St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Eph 4:4).

For the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2, the Pope will celebrate Holy Mass in the Basilica of Saint Peter. The feast also marks the 30th World Day of Consecrated Life, a time for gratitude and renewal for all consecrated men and women. The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life said the day is “an invitation to rediscover the beauty of consecrated life as a gift to the Church and the world” and to renew the missionary commitment of consecrated persons with the Pope.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Latin Rite, falls on February 18. Pope Leo will celebrate Holy Mass with the benediction and imposition of ashes at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill in Rome. The liturgy will begin with the “Statio” at the nearby Church of Sant’Anselmo, followed by a penitential procession to the Basilica.

During the first week of Lent, from February 22 to 27, the Pope and the Roman Curia will participate in the customary Spiritual Exercises, expected to take place in the Apostolic Palace.

The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff is responsible for preparing and supervising all liturgical and sacred celebrations presided over by the Pope or, by his mandate, a Cardinal or Prelate, ensuring their dignity and the active participation of the faithful.

Courtesy: Vatican News