Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary -8th December

Immaculate Conception

This great festival commemorates the still greater privilege of the Blessed Virgin Mary in being conceived without stain of original sin in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. It was befitting the dignity and the office of the Mother of God that she should not have been permitted to be, for a single instant of her existence, under the ban of God’s wrath or under the thralldom of the Demon whose head she was destined to crush. To her, were addressed the prophetic words of Holy Writ, “Thou art all fair, my beloved, and there is no spot in thee!” The Festival of the Immaculate Conception was first kept as a feast of devotion by Saint Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, in 1070; and, as such, was enjoined by Sixtus IV, a.d. 1476, to be generally observed throughout the Church. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was defined by his late Holiness Pius IX, by whom the feast was made one of obligation.

Prayer to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

O most Holy Virgin, immaculate in body
and spirit, look kindly on me as I implore
your powerful intercession.

O most Holy Mother, receive my prayers
as I present them to God.
(State your intentions here)

O Mary, Mother of Jesus and our mother,
you intercede for us with your son.
O Mary conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Amen.

Prayer to the Immaculate Conception:

Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Prayer to the Immaculate Conception:

Father, the image of the Virgin is found in the Church. Mary had a faith that your Spirit prepared and a love that never knew sin, for you kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Trace in our actions the lines of her love, in our hearts her readiness of faith. Prepare once again a world for your Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Immaculate Conception Novena

O most pure Virgin Mary conceived without sin, from the very first instant, you were entirely immaculate. O glorious Mary full of grace, you are the mother of my God – the Queen of Angels and of men. I humbly venerate you as the chosen mother of my Savior, Jesus Christ. The Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords chose you for the singular grace and honor of being His beloved mother. By the power of His Cross, He preserved you from all sin. Therefore, by His power and love, I have hope and bold confidence in your prayers for my holiness and salvation. I pray that your prayers will bring me to imitate your holiness and submission to Jesus and the Divine Will. Queen of Heaven, I beg you to beg my Savior to grant me these requests…
(Mention your intentions)
My holy Mother, I know that you were obedient to the will of God. In making this petition, I know that God’s will is more perfect than mine. So, grant that I may receive God’s grace with humility as you did. As my final request, I ask that you pray for me to increase in faith in our risen Lord; I ask that you pray for me to increase in hope in our risen Lord; I ask that you pray for me to increase in love for the risen Jesus! Hail Mary…
Amen.

Novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Immaculate Conception

Introductory prayer for all nine days of the novena:

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto You. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
Amen.

Closing Prayer for all nine days of the novena:

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from Him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.
Amen.

Day One

Introductory prayer

O most Holy Virgin, who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession. O most Holy Mother, who by your blessed Immaculate Conception, from the first moment of your conception did crush the head of the enemy, receive our prayers as we implore you to present at the throne of God the favor we now request.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Day Two

Introductory prayer

O Mary, ever Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Queen of Angels and of Saints, we salute you with the most profound veneration and filial devotion as we contemplate your holy Immaculate Conception. We thank you for your maternal protection and for the many blessings that we have received through your wondrous mercy and most powerful intercession. In all our necessities, we have recourse to you with unbounded confidence. O Mother of Mercy, we beseech you now to hear our prayer and to obtain for us of your Divine Son the favor that we so earnestly request in this novena.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Day Three

Introductory prayer

O Blessed Virgin Mary, glory of the Christian people, joy of the universal Church and Mother of our Lord, speak for us to the Heart of Jesus, who is your Son and our Brother. O Mary, who by your holy Immaculate Conception did enter the world free from stain, in your mercy obtain for us from Jesus the special favor which we now so earnestly seek.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Day Four

Introductory prayer

O Mary, Mother of God, endowed in your glorious Immaculate Conception with the fullness of grace; unique among women in that you are both mother and virgin; Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ, we ask you to look down with a tender heart from your throne and listen to our prayers as we earnestly ask that you obtain for us the favor for which we now plead.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Day Five

Introductory prayer

O Lord, who, by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, did prepare a fitting dwelling for Your Son, we beseech You that as by the foreseen death of Your Son, You did preserve her from all stain of sin, grant that through her intercession, we may be favored with the granting of the grace that we seek at this time.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Day Six

Introductory prayer

We rejoice with you in your Immaculate Conception. To the one ever-reigning God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in Person, one in nature, we offer thanks for your blessed Immaculate Conception. O Mother of the Word made Flesh, listen to our petition as we ask this special grace during this novena.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Day Seven

Introductory prayer

O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and my mother, from the sublime heights of your dignity, turn your merciful eyes upon me while I, full of confidence in your bounty and keeping in mind your Immaculate Conception and fully conscious of your power, beg of you to come to our aid and ask your Divine Son to grant the favor we earnestly seek in this novena, if it be beneficial for our immortal souls and the souls for whom we pray.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Day Eight

Introductory prayer

O Most gracious Virgin Mary, beloved Mother of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, intercede with Him for us that we be granted the favor which we petition for so earnestly in this novena. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. O Glorious Mother of God, in memory of your joyous Immaculate Conception, hear our prayers and obtain for us our petitions.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Day Nine

Introductory prayer

O Mother of the King of the Universe, most perfect member of the human race, “our tainted nature’s solitary boast,” we turn to you as mother, advocate, and mediator. O Holy Mary, assist us in our present necessity. By your Immaculate Conception, O Mary conceived without sin, we humbly beseech you from the bottom of our heart to intercede for us with your Divine Son and ask that we be granted the favor for which we now plead.
(State your personal intention here.)
Closing Prayer

Prayer to the Immaculate Conception

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession, to come unto You.

Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
Amen.