On May 7th, the bishops of New Jersey determined that for this year only, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord in the Province of Newark (the ecclesiastical region consisting of all the dioceses of New Jersey) would move from Thursday, May 21 to Sunday, May 24th (replacing the Seventh Sunday of Easter).
The transfer decision was made to ease the burden on those live-streaming Masses and in light of the dispensations already provided in all five dioceses from the obligation of the faithful to participate in Mass on Sundays and Holy Days.
Over recent years, this Solemnity had been transferred in most other United States provinces to the Seventh Sunday of Easter.
The Ascension of the Lord occurred 40 days after Easter, when Jesus, in the sight of his Apostles, ascended bodily into heaven to sit at the right hand of his father. The Ascension is narrated in Mark 16:19 and in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, which has a detailed account of Jesus’ farewell to his apostles.
Bishop Sullivan will celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord on Sunday, May 24, during his live-stream Mass from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 10:30 AM, broadcast on diocesan social media at:
https://www.facebook.com/DioceseOfCamden/live_videos/
https://www.youtube.com/camdendiocese