Obligations

The Ten Commandments

1. I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God, in vain.
3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
4. Honor thy father and thy mother.
5. Thou shalt not kill.
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
7. Thou shalt not steal.
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

The Precepts

• Hear Mass on Sundays and Holydays of obligation.
• Fast and abstain on the days appointed.
• Confess at least once a year.
• Receive the Holy Eucharist during the Easter-time.
• Contribute to the support of the pastor, church, and school.
• Not to marry non-Catholics, nor relatives within the fourth degree of kindred. Not to marry privately without pastor and two witnesses, nor to solemnize marriage at forbidden times.

Days of Obligation in the United States

• All Sundays of the year
• January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
• Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
• August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
• December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
• December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Abstinence and Fast Days

• Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence.
• Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.