Ordinary Time
Saturday, August 29, 2026
On Saturday, August 29, 2026, the Catholic Church is in Ordinary Time and the liturgical color is red. The Church celebrates the Passion of St John the Baptist.
Liturgical color: Red · for the memorial of Passion of St John the Baptist
Gustave Doré · An Angel Appears to the Israelites · 1866 · public domain
Saint of the day
Memorial
Passion of St John the Baptist
Herod Antipas, manipulated by his wife Herodias, had John beheaded in the fortress of Machaerus after the dance of Salome. He died for telling a king the truth about his marriage.
Saint John, who lost your head for truth, pray for our courage to speak honestly.
A memorial is an obligatory commemoration of a saint.
About Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time is the Church's ordered counting of weeks — 'ordinal', not 'ordinary' in the sense of plain. It falls in two stretches, after the Christmas season and after Pentecost, and it is where most of the Gospel is read straight through, Sunday by Sunday.
Why red?
Red is worn on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, at Pentecost, and on the feasts of martyrs: the color of both fire and blood.
Verse of the day
Eph 3:20
Read it in context — the whole Catholic Bible is in the app, offline and free.
Frequently asked
What liturgical color is worn on August 29, 2026?
Red, for the memorial of Passion of St John the Baptist. Red is worn on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, at Pentecost, and on the feasts of martyrs: the color of both fire and blood.
What liturgical season is August 29, 2026 in?
Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is the Church's ordered counting of weeks — 'ordinal', not 'ordinary' in the sense of plain. It falls in two stretches, after the Christmas season and after Pentecost, and it is where most of the Gospel is read straight through, Sunday by Sunday.
Is August 29, 2026 a holy day of obligation in the United States?
No. In the United States the holy days of obligation are Mary, Mother of God (1 January), the Assumption (15 August), All Saints (1 November), the Immaculate Conception (8 December), and Christmas (25 December); the Ascension is observed on a Thursday or the following Sunday depending on the diocese.
Which saint is celebrated on August 29, 2026?
the Passion of St John the Baptist. Herod Antipas, manipulated by his wife Herodias, had John beheaded in the fortress of Machaerus after the dance of Salome. He died for telling a king the truth about his…
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- Common Catholic prayersThe Rosary, the Chaplet, the Angelus — full texts
- Traditional novenasComplete nine-day texts
- The whole liturgical calendarEvery day from July 2026 to December 2027