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This year, 2004, marks the 150th Anniversary of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It wasn't until 1854, when Pope Pius IX published Ineffabilis Deus, that the doctrine of Mary's Immaculate Conception became official Church dogma. However, in the long history of the Roman Catholic Church, one must ask, why is this particular doctrine so young? Does this mean that it took nearly 2000 years from the event of her Son's death for the Church to recognise Mary's special grace? The answer is no.

The celebration of Mary's conception has a long and interesting history in the Church. In reality, Mary's Immaculate Conception had already become popular tradition by the time Pope Pius IX published Ineffabilis Deus. He made into official dogma what was a popular belief among Catholic scholars and clergy. Also, he fully defined the dogma which, prior to Ineffabilis Deus, existed in many different forms throughout the Universal Church.

What is the Immaculate Conception?

In Pope Pius IX's words, 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 Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin."

Through baptism, you and I remove the stain of original sin, but this stain was never on Mary's soul. It was excluded entirely. She was created as Adam and Eve were, without the weight of original sin. In fact, Mary is known as the new or second Eve, who became mother to the new Adam, the Saviour of all humankind.

A Brief History of the Immaculate Conception

By the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Feast of the Conception of Mary began spreading in the Western Church and developed most strongly in England. However, after the Norman Conquest of 1066, the celebration was abolished. The Normans, unfamiliar with this celebration, believed it to be an exclusively English observance,and therefore, eliminated it. It wasn't until the early 1100's that the feast day returned to recognition. When Anselm, nephew of St. Anselm, was appointed Abbot of Bury St. Edmund's, he established the feast there. Through his efforts, it spread to the other monasteries. Much controversy and disagreement ensued. When finally brought before the Council of London in 1129, the synod decided in favour of the feast. This led to the widespread acceptance of the feast day - offically held on the date we recognise today, 8 December.

In the Middle Ages, the feast received more controversy than it ever had before. Great scholars including St. Peter Damian, St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas, questioned the celebration's validity. Catholic historians agree that most of the conflict came from a lack of doctrine. With nothing definite from Rome specifying what the feast day truly represented, there was too much room for argument.

Enter Duns Scotus. With singular vision, he settled all of the major objections, and he established a widely understood and accepted rationale for the Feast of the Conception of Mary. From his work, all of the great universities and theologians ardently supported the feast day. So, on 8 December, 1854, Pope Pius IX, surrounded by cardinals and bishops, set forth the Immaculate Conception as dogma.

The Immaculate Conception and Our Lives

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception reminds us that Our Blessed Mother was blessed from the beginning, but we can still follow her in faith. She is the perfect example of God's grace. This year on her feast day, remember the sacrifice and struggle she endured as we prepare to enter into the Christmas season - where through her, God's will was done.