Because December 8 falls on a Sunday of Advent this year, the Church will observe the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Monday, December 9. Join fellow members of the Association of the Miraculous Medal in our annual eight-day celebration of the feast commemorating God’s gracious gift to Mary in preserving her from the stain of original sin.

In 1830, Mary called upon all people to invoke her as “conceived without sin,” as this phrase appears on the Miraculous Medal she instructed Catherine to create and promote.

On December 8, 1854, Blessed Pius IX released a document defining the dogma, stating that the Blessed Virgin Mary “… In the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin.”

You are invited to entrust your intentions to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal for remembrance throughout the Immaculate Conception Octave of Masses being offered at the National Shrine in Perryville. Praying this prayer daily during the octave can unite you with fellow AMM members sharing in the observance of this feast. You may also request a Votive Light to burn as another sign of your love for the Mother of God — the pure and holy Queen through whom every grace and favor flow to us!