Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September. It is one of the most important Marian feasts in the liturgical calendar of the Latin Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “to become the mother of the Savior, Mary ‘was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.’ The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as ‘full of grace.’ In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace” (No. 490).

“Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, ‘full of grace’ through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception,” the catechism states. “That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854” (No. 491).

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on December 8th. It is a Catholic feast that commemorates Mary’s conception without sin.The feast is one of the most important Marian feasts in the Latin Church’s liturgical calendar.

On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Catholic faith in the bull Ineffabilis Deus. Four years later, Saint Bernadette reported that Mary appeared to her at Lourdes and identified herself as “I am the Immaculate Conception”.

This year on 2024: December 9th the Second Advent:

Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the solemn dogma defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854. As Our Lady Immaculately Conceived is the patroness of the United States of America, this is a holy day of obligation in the United States. The Solemnity was transferred from the 8th because of the Sunday Liturgy of Advent. ❤️🤟🙏📿🕯️