Each year on December 8, the Church observes the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, one of the major feast days and a Holy Day of Obligation.
How the Feast Began
Devotion to Mary’s conception first appeared in the Eastern Church around the seventh century, and was later adopted in the West about a century later. By the 11th century, the celebration had taken on the title we use today—the Immaculate Conception. It eventually became a universal feast in the 18th century, and today it is celebrated with the rank of a solemnity.
The Dogma Defined
In 1854, Pope Pius IX formally declared the doctrine in the bull Ineffabilis Deus. He affirmed that “the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the very first moment of her conception, was preserved from original sin by a unique grace and privilege granted by God, through the merits of Jesus Christ.”
Four years later, this proclamation seemed divinely confirmed when Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette at Lourdes, announcing: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Since then, December 8 has stood in the Church’s calendar as the celebration of this profound mystery.
A Teaching That Grew Over Time
The development of this doctrine was gradual. Although the early Fathers and medieval theologians honored Mary above all saints, many struggled to understand how she could have been completely free from sin, especially from the very beginning of her existence. Unlike other teachings that emerged from the reasoning of great thinkers, this belief was shaped significantly by the devotion of ordinary believers. Even eminent figures such as St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Thomas Aquinas hesitated to support it on theological grounds.
William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, two Franciscan scholars worked and provided the breakthrough. They said that Mary’s exemption from original sin emphasises rather than lessens Christ’s ability to save. Humanity is often set free from sin after birth, but in Mary’s instance, Christ’s mercy was so great and all-encompassing that it kept sin from ever reaching her.
Pope Leo to continue the tradition
At the statue of the Virgin at Piazza Mignanelli, next to the well-known Spanish Steps in the centre of Rome, representatives of the city and numerous religious and civic institutions offer prayers and flowers every year. Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II, Pope Leo XIV will participate in the customary act of devotion this year.
On December 8, last year, Pope Francis prayed at Mary’s feet for the forthcoming Jubilee, which he described as “a message of hope for humanity tried by crises and wars.” Pope Leo now returns to Our Lady’s feet a few weeks before the end of the Holy Year.
