Fifth Sunday of Easter

The Fifth Sunday of Easter (or Fifth Sunday of Eastertide) is the fifth Sunday of the Easter season, being four weeks after the Christian celebration of Easter Sunday.^[1] In Western Christianity, this day is also known as the Fourth Sunday after Easter^[2] or Cantate Sunday.^[3] Eastern Christianity also calls this day the "Fifth Sunday," but typically using an Eastern synonym for Easter; for example, Fifth Sunday of Holy Pascha (as in the Byzantine Rite^[4]) or Fifth Sunday of the Resurrection (as in the West Syriac^[5] and East Syriac Rites^[6]). In the Byzantine Rite, this day is also known as the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.^[4][7]

Fifth Sunday of Easter
Also called	Cantate Sunday (Roman Rite)
Observed by	Christians
Observances	Church services
Date	Four weeks after Easter
2024 date	April 28 (Western) June 2 (Eastern)
2025 date	May 18 (Western) May 18 (Eastern)
2026 date	May 3 (Western) May 10 (Eastern)
2027 date	April 25 (Western) May 30 (Eastern)

Incipit of the Gregorian chant introit for the fourth Sunday after Easter in the Liber Usualis.

Western Christianity

The name "Fifth Sunday of Easter" is used among Roman Catholic,^[8] Anglican,^[9][10] Lutheran,^[11] Presbyterian,^[12] Methodist,^[13] and other Western Christian liturgical churches. It is the name given to this day in the Roman Missal^[14] (used in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church) and in the Revised Common Lectionary^[15] (widely used among English-speaking mainline Protestants^[16]). Tridentine editions of the Roman Missal called this day the Fourth Sunday after Easter,^[2] as do traditional versions of the Book of Common Prayer.

This day is also known as Cantate Sunday due to the incipit "Cantáte Dómino" (Sing to the Lord) of the introit assigned to this day in the Roman Rite.^[3] The full text of the introit in its original Latin is: "Cantáte Dómino cánticum novum, allelúia: quia mirabília fecit Dóminus, allelúia: ante conspéctum géntium revelávit iustítiam suam, allelúia, allelúia, allelúia. Salvávit sibi déxtera eius: et bráchium sanctum eius."^[2] This introit is based on Psalm 97:1–2 (which is now more commonly called Psalm 98 in accord with the Hebrew numbering used in modern Bibles).

For a brief period of time (1870–1911), this day was also known as the Octave Day of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. This octave day was the follow-up to the original feast on the previous Sunday.

Eastern Christianity

In the Byzantine Rite, this day is called the Fifth Sunday of Holy Pascha, and is also called the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman due to the Gospel passage (John 4:5–42) read on this day.^[4][7]

See also

• Eastertide

References

1. Gramenz, Stefan (6 April 2021). "Eastertide Lections". The Lutheran Missal.
2. Missale Romanum [Roman Missal] (in Latin) (5th post-typical ed.). Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. 2012 [1960]. p. 263.
3.  Alston, George Cyprian (1913). "Cantate Sunday". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
4. "Sunday Of The Samaritan Woman". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
5. "Liturgical Calendar for the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles according to the Rite of the Syriac Maronite Church: 2020–2021" (PDF). Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. p. 19.
6. Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy. "Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar: 2020–2021" (PDF). p. 31.
7.  Holweck, Frederick (1913). "Paschal Tide". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
8. "May 2, 2021: Fifth Sunday of Easter". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
9. "Easter Collects and Post Communions". Church of England. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
10. "Fifth Sunday of Easter". The Episcopal Church. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
11. "Sundays and Seasons". Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
12. "Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C: Hear the Word Podcast". Presbyterian Church (USA). 3 May 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
13. "Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A". Discipleship Ministries: United Methodist Church. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
14. The Roman Missal (3rd revised ed.). New Jersey: Catholic Book Publishing. 2011. p. 271.
15. "Year A, Easter, Revised Common Lectionary". Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
16. "The Revised Common Lectionary: Frequently Asked Questions". Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Retrieved April 19, 2021.

Sundays of the Easter cycle
Preceded by Fourth Sunday of Easter	Fifth Sunday of Easter May 18, 2025	Succeeded by Sixth Sunday of Easter