Please note that while we have included Masses from parishes' regular schedules on the major dates below where they apply, we have not reproduced the regular schedules in their entirety for the whole season of Advent. Please check the Arlington Parishes and Neighboring Dioceses pages for parishes' routine schedules.

Masses for Christmastide will be listed on a separate schedule.

First Sunday of Advent, December 1

• Ordinary Sunday Mass schedules: see Arlington Parishes and Neighboring Dioceses.

Saturday, December 7

• Diocese of Arlington

  • St. John the Beloved, McLean

    • Sung Rorate cæli Mass at 5 a.m.

  • Holy Trinity at Renaissance Montessori School, Nokesville

    • Low Rorate cæli Mass at 6:15 a.m.

  • Other parishes:

    • Ordinary Saturday Mass schedule

• Elsewhere:

  • Ordinary Saturday Mass schedule

THE CHANCERY SPEAKS – ANOTHER IMPORTANT UPDATE on the Holyday of Obligation for the Immaculate Conception

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a holyday of obligation. Ordinarily, it falls on December 8. In the traditional Roman Rite according to the 1962 Missal, Immaculate Conception outranks the 2nd Sunday of Advent. However, in the Novus Ordo, the Sunday takes precedence, and as a result, the holyday of obligation is transferred this year to Monday, December 9.

While some have interpreted the relevant canon law to mean that the obligation is fulfilled by those who attend Mass according to the 1962 Missal on this Sunday, and thus celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on its proper day, it was not immediately obvious that this interpretation was correct. In general, days of obligation are determined according to the normative calendar in force, which is currently the General Roman Calendar of 1969, i.e. the Novus Ordo calendar.

On Friday, December 6, Bishop Burbidge, speaking through his vicar general, Fr. Workman, issued a clarification and guidance that attending Mass for the Immaculate Conception on its proper day, Sun. Dec. 8, such as prescribed by the 1962 Missal and its corresponding rubrics, does indeed fulfill the obligation such that no further obligation is required on the transferred day, Mon. Dec. 9. 

But for those who attend Mass for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, the obligation to honor Immaculate Conception must still be fulfilled on Mon. Dec. 9.

Complicating matters further, on Wednesday, December 4, Bishop Burbidge granted pastors in the Diocese of Arlington permission to move the celebration of Immaculate Conception in the traditional Roman Rite to Monday, Dec. 9. However, only some parishes will be making this transfer, while others will still be celebrating Immaculate Conception on its proper day. Please see the listings below for each parish's details.

NOTA BENE: The aforementioned transfer permission (Dec. 4) and obligation clarification (Dec. 6) from Bishop Burbidge became known to ALMS only after this schedule was originally published. We have since updated the parish listings below, and will continue to fill in the gaps as more information becomes available.

For Latin Catholics in the Archdiocese of Washington, Wilton Cardinal Gregory has dispensed the transferred obligation on Dec. 9.

The Canons Regular in Charles Town, W.Va., have been advised by their bishop to transfer Immaculate Conception to Monday, Dec. 9, and to celebrate Dec. 8 as the 2nd Sunday of Advent.

At some (but not all) parishes administered by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, the North American provincial superior has directed that the Feast of the Immaculate Conception may be transferred to Monday, Dec. 9, with Dec. 8 celebrated as the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Please see the listings below for each parish's details.

Sunday, December 8

• Diocese of Arlington

  • St. Rita of Cascia, Alexandria

    • Gotcha! There will be no TLM at St. Rita

  • St. John the Beloved, McLean – changed back to Immaculate Conception

    •  Missa cantata at 12 noon

  • Holy Trinity at Renaissance Montessori School, Nokesville – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa lecta at 8:30 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 12 noon

  • St. Patrick, Fredericksburg – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa solemnis at 12:30 p.m.

  • St. John the Baptist at Chelsea Academy, Front Royal – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa cantata at 8 a.m.

    • Missa cantata at 10 a.m.

  • St. Anthony Mission, King George – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa cantata at 1 p.m.

  • St. John the Apostle, Leesburg – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa lecta at 10:30 a.m.

  • Sacred Heart of Jesus, Winchester – 2nd Sunday of Advent

    • Missa cantata at 8:30 a.m.

• Archdiocese of Washington

  • Ordinary Sunday Mass schedule – Immaculate Conception

• Archdiocese of Baltimore

  • National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Baltimore – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa lecta at 7:30 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 9:30 a.m.

    • Missa cantata at 11:30 a.m. with Parish Choir

• Diocese of Richmond

  • St. Joseph, Richmond – 2nd Sunday of Advent

    • Missa lecta at 8:30 a.m.

    • Missa cantata at 11 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 1:30 p.m.

  • St. Benedict, Chesapeake –  2nd Sunday of Advent

    • Missa lecta at 7 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 8:30 a.m.

    • Missa cantata at 11 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 1:30 p.m.

• Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston

  • Priory of the Annunciation (Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem), Charles Town, W.Va. – 2nd Sunday of Advent

    • Ordinary Sunday Mass schedule

Monday, December 9 – (transferred holyday of obligation)

• Diocese of Arlington

  • St. Rita of Cascia, Alexandria – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa lecta at 12:15 p.m.

  • St. John the Beloved, McLean – changed back to Feria of Advent

    • Missa lecta at 12 noon

  • Holy Trinity at Renaissance Montessori School, Nokesville – Feria of Advent

    • Missa lecta at 7:15 a.m.

  • St. Anthony Mission, King George – Feria of Advent

    • Missa cantata at 9 a.m.

  • St. John the Baptist, Front Royal – either Advent feria or I.C. votive Mass

    • Missa lecta at 7 a.m. – moved to the Historic Church

    • CANCELLED: Missa lecta at 7 p.m.

  • Sacred Heart of Jesus, Winchester – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa cantata at 5:30 p.m.

  • St. Patrick, Fredericksburg

    • There will be no TLM

  • St. John the Apostle, Leesburg

    • There will be no TLM

• Archdiocese of Washington

  • No TLMs listed

• Archdiocese of Baltimore

  • National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Baltimore – Feria of Advent

    • Missa lecta at 7 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 12:10 p.m.

    • Missa lecta at 7 p.m.

• Diocese of Richmond

  • St. Joseph, Richmond – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa lecta at 7 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 9 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 6 p.m.

  • St. Benedict, Chesapeake – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa lecta at 6 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 8 a.m.

    • Missa cantata at 7 p.m.

• Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston

  • Priory of the Annunciation (Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem), Charles Town, W.Va. – Immaculate Conception

    • Missa lecta at 8 a.m.

    • Missa lecta at 11:15 a.m.

    • Missa solemnis at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, December 12 – Our Lady of Guadalupe

• Diocese of Arlington:

  • Ordinary Thursday Mass schedule 

• Archdiocese of Baltimore

  • National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Baltimore

    • Missa lecta at 7 a.m.

    • Missa cantata at 7 p.m.

• Elsewhere:

  • Ordinary Thursday Mass schedule

Saturday, December 14

• Diocese of Arlington

  • St. John the Beloved, McLean

    • Sung Rorate cæli Mass at 5 a.m.

  • St. Rita of Cascia, Alexandria

    • Sung Rorate cæli Mass at 6 a.m.

  • Holy Trinity at Renaissance Montessori School, Nokesville

    • Low (tentatively sung) Rorate cæli Mass at 6:15 a.m.

  • St. John the Baptist in the Historic Church, Front Royal – updated location change

    • Low Rorate cæli Mass at 6 a.m.

  • St. Anthony Mission, King George

    • CORRECTION: Sung Rorate cæli Mass at 6:30 a.m.

  •  Other parishes:

    • Ordinary Saturday Mass schedule

• Archdiocese of Baltimore

  • National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Baltimore

    • Sung Rorate cæli Mass at 6 a.m. with Quartet

• Elsewhere:

  • Ordinary Saturday Mass schedule

Gaudete Sunday (Advent III), December 15

• Diocese of Arlington

  • The 12:30 p.m. Mass at St. Patrick will be Missa solemnis

  • Otherwise, ordinary Sunday Mass schedule

• Elsewhere:

  • Ordinary Sunday Mass schedule

Ember Wednesday of Advent, December 18

• Diocese of Arlington

  • St. John the Beloved, McLean

    • Sung Missa aurea at 5 a.m.

  • St. Anthony Mission, King George

    • Sung Missa aurea at 5 p.m.

  • Other parishes: ordinary Wednesday Mass schedule

• Elsewhere: ordinary Wednesday Mass schedule

Ember Friday of Advent, December 20

• Nothing announced outside of the ordinary Friday Mass schedule (click here for Arlington; click here for elsewhere)

Saturday, December 21 – Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle, comm. Ember Saturday of Advent

• Nothing announced outside of the ordinary Saturday Mass schedule (click here for Arlington; click here for elsewhere)

Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 22

• Diocese of Arlington

  • Gotcha! There will be no TLM at St. John the Beloved, McLean

  • Gotcha! There will be no TLM at St. Anthony Mission, King George

  • Otherwise, ordinary Sunday Mass schedule

• Elsewhere

  • Ordinary Sunday Mass schedule

Did we miss something? Contact us to let us know.