Friends of the Rosary:
Yesterday, we celebrated the memorial day of Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878).
Pius IX defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, 1854. It stated, "It has been revealed by God that Mary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race."
Three years after the proclamation of the dogma, on March 25, 1858, the Blessed Virgin, during one of her apparitions to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
In 1996, Pope John Paul II said, "The freedom from every stain of original sin entails as a positive consequence the total freedom from all sin as well as the proclamation of Mary's perfect holiness, a doctrine to which the dogmatic definition makes a fundamental contribution."
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that Mary was "redeemed in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son."
Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!
To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will!
+ Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

• ⁠February 8, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET