holy day of obligation: Meaning and Definition of

ho'ly day" of obliga'tion

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a day on which Roman Catholics are duty-bound to attend Mass and abstain from certain kinds of work.
  2. a day on which Episcopalians are expected to take communion.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.