Epiphany Proclamation

Bishop William Cliff announced his Epiphany Proclamation this week on Epiphany (January 6).

The Epiphany Proclamation as a formal announcement has a surprisingly long history. It began as a practical necessity in the early Church and evolved into a liturgical tradition that still appears in Catholic and some Anglican parishes today.

In the early centuries of Christianity, most people did not have access to calendars, and the date of Easter changed every year. Since many other feasts depend on Easter, the Church needed a way to tell the faithful when the major celebrations would occur. The Epiphany Proclamation became the moment when the Church would 'reveal' the dates of the major movable feasts for the coming liturgical year.

• View Bishop Cliff's Epiphany Proclamation