In the present year (2016) the Annunciation of the Lord is not celebrated on March 25. Rather, as March 25 is the date of Good Friday this year, the celebration of the Annunciation of the Lord is deferred until the first day that it can possibly be celebrated which is Monday, April 4, the day immediately following Divine Mercy Sunday. Those who seek to make their Act of Total Consecration, or to renew it, on the feast of the Annunciation this year should do so on the date that the Church actually celebrates the feast so as to be most fully in union with the prayer of the Church.
The question may then arise, “If I make my Act of Total Consecration on April 4 this year, will that date become my feast day?” The answer to this is “No.” When one makes his Act of Total Consecration on the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, his feast day is not the specific calendar date of his consecration but the date, whenever it may fall in a given year, on which the Church celebrates the Annunciation of the Lord – usually March 25.
Due to the importance this feast day for those who follow the spirituality of St. Louis de Montfort, it is necessary to be familiar with the occasional changes in the date of its celebration by the Church and to plan our calendars accordingly.
