Christian Holiday

Ascension Day

Ascension Day celebrates Jesus being taken up into heaven forty days after his resurrection, as told in Acts 1. It is always a Thursday, and Ascension Day 2027 falls on Thursday, May 6, 2027. Most Catholic dioceses in the United States celebrate it on the following Sunday, May 9, 2027.

Next: Thursday, May 6, 2027

When Is Ascension Day?

2027Next

Ascension Day (Thursday)Thursday, May 6, 2027

Most US Catholic dioceses (Sunday)Sunday, May 9, 2027

Orthodox AscensionThursday, June 10, 2027

2028

Ascension Day (Thursday)Thursday, May 25, 2028

Most US Catholic dioceses (Sunday)Sunday, May 28, 2028

Orthodox AscensionThursday, May 25, 2028

What Ascension Day Means

Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus was taken up into heaven in the presence of his disciples, with the promise that he would return. The Ascension declares that Jesus reigns, that his work on earth was complete, and that he sent his followers out to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the hinge between the resurrection and Pentecost.

Ascension Day in the Bible

Acts 1:9-11KJV
“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

Luke 24:50-51KJV
“And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.”

How Ascension Day Is Observed

Ascension Day falls on a Thursday and is marked by special services in many liturgical churches. Readings focus on the final words of Jesus and the commissioning of the disciples.

Catholic

The Ascension of the Lord is a solemnity and a holy day of obligation. In the United States, the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha and Philadelphia keep it on Thursday. All other US provinces transfer it to the following Sunday.

Orthodox

The Ascension is one of the twelve great feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on the fortieth day after Pascha. It closes the forty days in which the risen Christ appeared to his disciples.

Protestant

Anglicans list Ascension Day among the principal feasts, and Lutheran and Methodist churches often hold Thursday services or mark Ascension on the following Sunday. In many other Protestant churches, the Ascension is remembered in preaching rather than a separate service.

Where It Falls in the Christian Year

Ascension Day comes forty days after Easter and ten days before Pentecost. Read Luke's account of the Ascension in Acts 1.

Ascension Day FAQ

When is Ascension Day 2027?

Ascension Day 2027 is Thursday, May 6, 2027, the fortieth day of Easter counting Easter Sunday as the first. Most US Catholic dioceses celebrate it on Sunday, May 9, 2027, and Orthodox churches on June 10, 2027.

What is Ascension Day?

Ascension Day is the feast of Jesus being taken up into heaven. Acts 1:9 says that while the disciples watched, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. Two men in white then told them he would come again in like manner.

Why is Ascension Day on a Thursday?

Acts 1:3 says Jesus appeared to his followers over forty days after his resurrection. Counting Easter Sunday as the first day, the fortieth day is always a Thursday.

Is Ascension Day a holy day of obligation?

Yes, for Catholics. In most US dioceses the feast moves to the following Sunday, so it is kept as part of the Sunday obligation. In the provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha and Philadelphia, Thursday remains a holy day of obligation.

What is the meaning of the Ascension?

Christians believe the Ascension shows Jesus exalted and reigning with the Father, and that he promised to send the Holy Spirit and to return. It is the bridge between Easter and Pentecost.