Catholic Dictionary
Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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PASCHAL MYSTERY
The title of a document, Paschalis Mysterii, issued by Pope Paul VI on May 9, 1969. In this document he approved a reorganization of the liturgical year and calendar for the Roman Rite. Its purpose was "to permit the faithful to communicate in a more intense way, through faith, hope and love, in the whole mystery of Christ, which … unfolds within the cycle of a year." Paschal Mystery is a general term to describe the redemptive work of Christ, especially the events of the Last Supper and the Passion, reaching their climax on Easter Sunday. (Etym. Latin paschalis, from pascha, Passover, Easter; from Greek pasha; from Hebrew pesah, Pesach.)
