05/12/2025
On December 8, we commemorate Mary, our Mother. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic celebration that honors Mary's conception free from sin. Although this feast day falls within the Advent liturgical season, which prepares us for the arrival of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Immaculate Conception specifically pertains to Mary's formation in the womb of her mother, St. Anne. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception states that, "from the very first moment of her conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary was, by the unique grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in consideration of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of Humanity, preserved from all taint of original sin."
The formal observance of this feast began with a Papal encyclical by Pope Pius IX, when he officially articulated the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, INEFFABILIS DEUS, on December 8, 1854. A few years later, in 1858, the Blessed Mother revealed her name to St. Bernadette at Lourdes, declaring, "I am the Immaculate Conception."
