Pope Francis on Mary, the Mother of us all
Vinita Wright reads an excerpt about Mary, the mother of Jesus, from "The Church of Mercy" by Pope Francis.
​Learn more about/or buy the book: at this link
Immaculate Conception
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​The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that Mary was preserved free from original sin from the first moment of her conception. Prior to the Middle Ages, there was no discussion of this idea. When the idea was suggested, prominent theologians, including Saints Anselm and Thomas Aquinas, opposed it.
Gradually, however, the idea took hold, and the 16th-century Council of Trent excluded Mary when it talked about original sin. On December 8, 1854, Blessed Pope Pius IX defined the Immaculate Conception as a dogma of the Catholic Church. Eight years earlier, the bishops of the United States had chosen Mary under the title of her Immaculate Conception to be patroness of their country. Thirty-one dioceses in the United States have adopted Mary of the Immaculate Conception as their patroness. Today the largest Catholic church in the Americas is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington,D.C.
Marian Celebrations and Feast Days
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (January 1)
Our Lady of Lourdes (February 11)
Arts & Faith: The Annunciation (March 25; Fourth Week of Advent in Cycle B)
May Crowning: A Reflection on a Marian Celebration
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church (Day after Pentecost)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July 16)
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15)
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8)
Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7)
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (November 21)
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 8)
Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12)