December 8 marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It falls during advent, a lesser penitential season of the Catholic church. The Immaculate Conception is one of six recognized Holy Days in the Catholic and Orthodox liturgical calendars. When Our Lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, she called herself the "Immaculate Conception." That dogma was being debated in the Vatican. It seemed impossible that an uneducated girl such as Bernadette would have understood or even known about the term. Mary claimed the title and called us to address her as such. This why we call it the Immaculate Heart of Mary (she's also called simply the Immaculata). Here are free printable lesson plans and activities to celebrate this feast
day.
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