What is the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary all about? Catholics and other Christians frequently misunderstand it. Many are ignorant of it. Others don’t know what a dogma even is. Protestants often claim the dogma of the Immaculate Conception is an “unbiblical papal invention.” Is that true? Nope.
If we don’t understand what the Immaculate Conception means, we can’t really understand how God prepared the way for his Son to enter history. Nor can we understand Mary’s role in it. In fact, we can’t even understand our destiny—not fully, anyway.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a matter of faith (de fide). It’s God’s divine revelation. Which means every Christian is required to believe in it. To deny it is heresy. And it’s truly beautiful. In an extraordinary exercise of the papal magisterium, it was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854. The Catechism states:
“Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, full of grace through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin. (qtd. in CCC 491)
Watch the video below to learn more about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and what it means in your Christian life.
By Deacon Frederick Bartels
Read more about the Immaculate Conception.
Deacon Frederick Bartels is a member of the Catholic clergy who serves the Church in the diocese of Pueblo. He holds an MA in Theology and Educational Ministry, is a member of the theology faculty at Catholic International University, and is a Catholic educator, public speaker, and evangelist who strives to infuse culture with the saving principles of the gospel. For more, visit YouTube, iTunes and Twitter.
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