A lot of people -- and not just Protestants, but many Catholics as well -- seem not to understand the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and its history. Because it was pronounced and defined only in the 19th century by Pope Pius IX (1854), many believe it had no previous history and simply sprang to life from the mind of this pope. In truth it had a long history dating back to the earliest days of the Church.
The following video, by Dr. Mark Miravalle, Professor of Theology and Mariology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, provides some excellent insight into the development of this doctrine of the Catholic Church.
Our family, by the way, has an especially close connection to the Immaculate Conception which is celbrated tomorrow, December 8. My lovely wife, Diane, and our younger son, Brendan, share this wonderful day as their birthday.
Mary Immaculate, pray for us.
The occasional, often ill-considered thoughts of a Roman Catholic permanent deacon who is ever grateful to God for his existence. Despite the strangeness we encounter in this life, all the suffering we witness and endure, being is good, so good I am sometimes unable to contain my joy. Deo gratias!
Although I am an ordained deacon of the Catholic Church, the opinions expressed in this blog are my personal opinions. In offering these personal opinions I am not acting as a representative of the Church or any Church organization.
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