Catholics in the United States observe Dec. 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, as a holy day of obligation. (We celebrate the Nativity of Mary on Sept. 8, i.e., nine months hence). I fear ...
On Dec. 8, 1854, the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was solemnly defined and proclaimed by Pope Pius IX as follows: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, ...