If you are keeping a track of all of the events of the Roman Catholic Church, in all likelihood, you have noticed, some of the countries have their own celebrations which are actually unique only to their region. While the largest part of the crucial dates are universal for all of the Roman Catholics of the globe, there are certainly some regional celebrations. If you are interested in exploring some of such events of the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, this article will provide you with such information regarding the January celebrations of 2022.
The additional celebrations of The Roman Catholic Church in Argentina
This January, Argentinian Catholics will have a chance of celebrating an optional memorial day of Blessed Laura Vicuna on the 22nd of January which will happen on Saturday. This country also celebrates the day of Our Lady, Queen of Peace on the 24th of January.
The Catholic memorial dates specific to Canada
Canadian Catholics have even more unique celebrations of January. The very first one of the year takes place on the 4th of January which is the day of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton also known as Archdiocese of Halifax. The next crucial day for the Canadian Catholics is the day of Saint Andre Bessette celebrated on the 7th of January. As you have already learnt, this is also the celebration of the option memorial day of Saint Raymond of Penyafort in the general Catholic liturgical calendar. Canadian Catholics also have a specific celebration of the day of Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys. This event takes place on the 12th of January.
The special Catholic celebrations of the USA
The Catholics of The USA will celebrate the day of Saint Vincent this January which will be held on the 23rd of the month. Prior to that, there will also be a special celebration of the day of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton which usually takes place on the 4th of January.
How can a particular day of the calendar become a Catholic day for celebration in a particular country?
As you can imagine, there is a specific procedure for claiming and accepting holidays of the Catholic Church which are not visible in the general liturgical calendar. As a rule, first the Conference of Catholic Bishops of a particular country has to make an official request for approval of a holiday. The approval for new holidays is given by the Holy See.
Thus, for Argentina, this will be the Argentinian Conference of Catholic Bishops while for the USA such an institution is the United Sates Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Subsequently, the new Catholic holidays can become national days in particular countries.