Vatican releases calendar of upcoming papal liturgies

By Christopher Wells

Over the course of the next two months, Pope Leo XIV will preside at liturgies for the feasts of the Conversion of St Paul, the Presentation of the Lord, and Ash Wednesday, according to the calendar released Friday by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff.

During the first week of Lent, the Holy Father will also take part in the traditional Lenten Spiritual Exercises along with the Roman Curia.

Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul

On January 25, Pope Leo will go to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where he will preside at Second Vespers for the Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul.

The liturgy will mark the conclusion of the 59th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year is focused 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).

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

For the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, commemorating the presentation of Jesus in the Temple forty days after His birth, the Holy Father will celebrate Holy Mass in the Basilica of Saint Peter on February 2.

The feast is also the occasion of the thirtieth World Day of Consecrated Life, an opportunity for gratitude and renewal for all consecrated men and women.

“This day, established by St. John Paul II, is an invitation to rediscover the beauty of consecrated life as a gift to the Church and the world,” says the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. “The celebration also aims to be an occasion to renew the missionary commitment of consecrated persons, together with the Holy Father.”

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Latin Rite, occurs in 2026 on February 18. Following an ancient tradition revived in the 20th century by Pope St John XXIII, 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, and the penitential procession to the Basilica.

Spiritual Exercises

The customary Spiritual Exercises of the Holy Father and of the Roman Curia take place during the first week of Lent, beginning Sunday, 22 February, and concluding on Friday, 27 February.

This year, the Spiritual Exercises are expected to take place in the Apostolic Palace. 

Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff

Pope Francis’ Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, Predicate Evangelium, explains that “The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff is responsible for preparing whatever is needed for the liturgical and other sacred celebrations in the Vatican at which the Roman Pontiff, or – in his name and by his mandate – a Cardinal or a Prelate presides, participates or assists, and for supervising them according to the current prescriptions of liturgical law. It also arranges everything necessary or useful for their dignified celebration and for the active participation of the faithful” (PE, art. 231).

The current Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations is Archbishop Diego Ravelli.