Hail Mary, Full of Grace: The Immaculate Conception Explained
Reading Time: 5 minutes By Elizabeth Zahorick, Notre Dame The words are recited millions of times a day by Catholics all over the world: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” We are so accustomed to this phrase in our daily prayers that we lose sight of the significance of what is being said. What does […]
Why Do Catholics Venerate Mary? A Comprehensive Overview
Reading Time: 29 minutes By Rachel Hamilton, Franciscan University As a former skeptic myself, I certainly understand the concern over how highly Catholics exalt Mary. If you clicked on this article, you likely are brimming with questions such as: 1. How is viewing Mary as more “immaculate” and righteous than the rest of us human creatures not deifying her? […]
Understanding the Weird Timeline of Ineffabilis Deus
Reading Time: 5 minutes By Clara Gerdes, Yale University On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX pronounced Mary’s Immaculate Conception to be dogma. That Mary’s soul was freed from original sin by Christ in advance of her conception—something which Catholics already held to be true—was now a firm and indisputable article of faith for the universal Church, enshrined in […]
