Livonia, Michigan

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated every December 8th to commemorate the Virgin Mary. The Sacrament of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic feast that commemorates Mary’s sinless conception. Even though this feast day falls during the Advent season, which also prepares for the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Immaculate Conception refers to Mary’s birth to her mother, St. Anne. According to the religious doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, “from the very first minute of her conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary was kept free from all stains of original sin, even by the singular grace and entitlement of Almighty God, and given the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of Mankind.”

The feast was first declared a Holy Day of Obligation on December 6, 1708, by Pope Clement XI in the Papal Bull Commissi Nobis Divinitus. In some countries, it is commemorated with mass, parades, fireworks, processions, food, and cultural festivities. It is generally considered a family day, particularly in many pious Catholic countries.


A holy day of obligation