Dear Parishioners, 

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." 
(Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854) 

On December 8th the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary as the Immaculate Conception is the Patron Saint of the United States. Even though this feast day occurs in the liturgical season of Advent, which prepares for the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, St. Anne. The concept of the perfect, sinless Mary had been taught by the Fathers of the Church as early as 370 AD, but it had been a part of the Church’s beliefs long before that. At the Annunciation Archangel Gabriel greets Mary with the words, “full of grace” or “highly favored”. (Lk. 1: 26-38) 

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the church which was officially proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 in his papal bull Ineffabilis Deus. The papal definition of the dogma declares with absolute certainty and authority that Mary possessed sanctifying grace from the first instant of her existence and was free from the lack of grace caused by the original sin at the beginning of human history. 

The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain - that’s what “immaculate” means, without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace. From the first moment of her existence, she was in the state of sanctifying grace, sharing in God's own life, and was free from the corrupt nature and all the sinful inclinations that original sin brings. 

Masses for the Holy Day will be on Monday, December 9th at 8:45 am, 6:00 pm in English, and 7:30 pm in Polish. During all masses on that day, we will renew the Act of Consecration of our parish, our families, and of ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

Dec. 8 is typically a holy day of obligation celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, but this year the feast day lands on a Sunday in Advent. As a result, the USCCB transferred it to Monday, Dec. 9, according to the 2024 USCCB liturgical calendar, without designating it as a holy day of obligation. Cardinal Cupich has issued a decree granting a dispensation from the holy day obligation for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception this year. This dispensation is in keeping with canon 87, §1 of the Code of Canon Law that establishes that a "diocesan bishop, whenever he judges that it contributes to their spiritual good, is able to dispense the faithful from universal and particular disciplinary laws issued for his territory or his subjects by the supreme authority of the Church." 

This decree establishes that the obligation linked to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which has been transferred to Monday, December 9, 2024, is hereby suppressed in the Archdiocese of Chicago. No member of the Catholic Faithful is obligated to attend Mass on December 9, 2024.

Please remember that our Advent Confessions this year will take place on Thursday, December 19th from 5:00 until 8:00 pm.