FILIPINO Catholics celebrate a popular fiesta today, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, mother of Jesus and patron of the Philippines. This fiesta is part of Filipino folk religiosity, as evidenced by the many parishes, schools, and other institutions bearing the name of Mary Immaculate.


Catholics keep today’s feast because they believe that God gave special gifts to Mary in light of her role as the mother of Jesus. All Christians as well as Muslims honor Mary as the mother of Jesus, but Catholics take their veneration of Mary even further. They believe that Mary was free from all sin from the time she was conceived, citing the texts of Luke 1:28 and Genesis 3:15 in support of this tradition. Catholic belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary developed through the centuries of Christianity. The Councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon upheld the church’s belief in the divinity of Jesus and in the role of Mary as His mother. By 600, Eastern Christians celebrated Mary’s conception without sin in their yearly liturgical calendar.

Early Western theologians were hesitant to affirm such a viewpoint, as seen in the writings of medieval theologians like Bernard of Clairvaux, Albert Aquinas, and Bonaventure, who felt it ran contrary to the church’s understanding of the effects of Adam and Eve’s "original sin." John Duns, a Scottish Franciscan friar, argued the contrary position. In the late 16th century, the Council of Trent affirmed that Mary, by the power of God was freed from original sin, by virtue of her role as the mother of the Redeemer. Catholic belief in the immaculate conception of Mary peaked in the 19th century when the Pope declared it a part of Roman Catholic teaching. On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX formally declared that "from the first moment of her conception the Blessed Virgin Mary was, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of Mankind, kept free from all stain of original sin."

Celebrating this feast demonstrates a profound Catholic faith in the power of God hidden in the realities of human life. May today’s celebration of faith be a source of strength for all Filipino Catholics. Happy Feast Day