December 8, 1854 was the date Pope Pius IX formally defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, with the papal bull "Ineffabilis Deus" (Ineffable God). Four years later, on March 25, 1858, the Virgin Mary told Bernadette, on the 16th of her 18 apparitions in the Massabielle Grotto, that she was the "Immaculate Conception", a phrase that greatly astonished Bernadette as she was uneducated, had never heard of the phrase, and the dogma itself had only been declared four years earlier. (Film: "T

Procession for Pope Francis at St. Pius X

🙏 Prayer to the Immaculate Conception O Mary, conceived without original sin, pray for us who have recourse to you. Most Holy Mother of God, you were preserved from the stain of original sin from the first moment of your existence. Chosen to be the pure vessel of our Savior, you are our model of holiness, faith, and obedience. Virgin Immaculate, look upon us with your loving eyes. Grant us purity of heart, strength in trials, and the grace to follow God's will faithfully. Through your intercess