Vatican City: The Vatican has released the calendar of upcoming papal liturgies for January and February, highlighting several important celebrations to be led by Pope Leo XIV.
According to the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, Pope will preside at major liturgical events marking the Conversion of Saint Paul, the Presentation of the Lord, and the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. He will also take part in the traditional Lenten Spiritual Exercises together with the Roman Curia.
On January 25, Pope Leo XIV will visit the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where he will preside at Second Vespers for the Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul. This celebration will conclude the 59th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year reflects on Saint Paul’s message of unity from his Letter to the Ephesians, calling believers to one body, one Spirit, and one shared hope.
On February 2, the Holy Father will celebrate Holy Mass for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in Saint Peter’s Basilica. The feast commemorates the presentation of Jesus in the Temple forty days after His birth. It also marks the thirtieth World Day of Consecrated Life, observed as a time of thanksgiving and renewal for consecrated men and women across the Church.
Lent will begin on February 18 with Ash Wednesday. Continuing an ancient tradition revived in the twentieth century, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Holy Mass with the blessing and imposition of ashes at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill. The liturgy will begin with a prayer gathering at the nearby Church of Sant’Anselmo, followed by a penitential procession to the basilica.
During the first week of Lent, from February 22 to February 27, Pope and members of the Roman Curia will take part in the customary Spiritual Exercises. This year, the retreat is expected to be held in the Apostolic Palace.
The liturgical calendar was released by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, which is responsible for preparing and overseeing papal liturgies and other sacred celebrations in the Vatican. The office is currently headed by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations.