have made modifications to this system or disregarded its use completely.
The Jerusalem liturgical year (cycle) begins with the Nativity and ends with
Pentecost.
WESTERN SYSTEM.—It was the Jerusalem system, with its cycle from
the Nativity to Pentecost, that was taken over by the Western Church and
later underwent modifications and additions. In the Roman Missal, the
Proper of the Time (i.e., the temporal cycle) runs as follows:
Four Sundays in Advent, the first of which is the Sunday nearer
Nov. 30
Christmas Day (Dec. 25)
St. Stephen’s Day (Dec. 26)
St. John the Apostle’s Day (Dec. 27)
Holy Innocents’ Day (Dec. 28)
Sunday within the octave of Christmas
St. Thomas a’ Becket’s Day (Dec. 29)
St. Silvester’s Day (Dec. 31)
Octave of Christmas (Jan. 1)
Sunday before Epiphany
Epiphany (Jan. 6)
Six Sundays after Epiphany
Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent)
Six Sundays in Lent, the fifth of which is Passion Sunday inaugu-
rating Passiontide, and the sixth is Palm Sunday
Holy Week
Easter Day
Five Sundays after Easter
Ascension Day on the following Thursday
Sunday after Ascension Day
Pentecost
2-30
