Friday, December 7 (Evening Vigil Mass) or Saturday, December 8 (Morning Mass)
There is often misunderstanding concerning this Holy Day and the meaning of “Immaculate Conception.”
From the Modern Catholic Encyclopedia:
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was graced by God in such a way that she was preserved from sin from the first moment of her existence. “Immaculate” refers to the absence of sin or stain and “Conception” refers to Mary’s very beginning.
This belief has nothing to do with the sexual manner of Mary’s conception, nor with the way in which she later conceived her own child through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit…it points to God’s graciousness to this woman as she came into the world sinless or “full of grace.”
In 1854, after consultation with the world’s bishops. Pope Pius IX declared this belief to be a dogma of the Catholic Church
In the United States this is a holy day of obligation, partly because this country is dedicated to Mary under the title of The Immaculate Conception.
Need to find a parish near you? Use our Parish Locator by clicking here (in the Diocese of Cleveland). or go to masstimes.org anywhere else in the world!
If you want to read about WHY it is an obligation and WHAT are details for mass because it falls on Saturday (meaning two masses possibly in one day) read here.
