Immaculate Conception

On Dec. 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX in the Bull "Ineffabilis Deus" proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception: "The Most Holy Virgin Mary was in the first moment of her conception by the unique gift of grace and privilege of the Almighty god, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind, preserved free from all stain of original sin."

Four years later in 1858, as if to confirm the dogma, our Blessed Mother made known herself to St. Bernadette in Lourdes as the Immaculate Conception.

400 years before the dogma was defined, Duns Scotus, a Franciscan Theologian, defended the reasonability of the dogma by saying: "God could do it; he ought to do it; therefore, he did it."

The dogma, while directly about the Blessed Mother, is not only about her. It is a privilege and grace granted her because of her unique vocation of Mother of God. Hence, everything about Mary is because of Jesus.