Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary

September 8 is the Feast of the Birth of Mary, mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church celebrates the dawning of the day of our Redemption, the moment when she who was to be the Mother of our Savior was born.

The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation. Heaven rejoices at her birth. The Lord reserves for her the highest and most important mission ever entrusted to any creature. Mary who is prepared by Divine Providence to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, is conceived in the womb of her mother Anna, her father being Joachim, without the stain of original sin. Her birthday is considered by the Catholic Church as a solemn event, although it is not a holiday of obligation. The faithful are encouraged, nevertheless, to go to Mass on this day since it is a very important feast because it prepares the way for the birth of Jesus.

Thus, our Lady's birthday has been described as the "hope of the entire world and the dawn of salvation."

The Church's calendar observes the birthdays of only three persons: St. John the Baptist and Mary, mother of Jesus, and the birthday of Jesus Himself, Son of God.

According to tradition, the house in which Mary was born in Nazareth is the same house in which the Angel Gabriel appeared to her during the Annunciation.

In celebrating the nativity of Mary, Christians anticipate the Incarnation and the birth of her Divine Son and give honor to the mother of our Lord and Savior. This Feast provides us with the occasion for praise and thanksgiving in honor of the personal sanctity and vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Let us greet her on this day: Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and our mother too, Happy Happy Birthday! Please pray for us always, and help us at the moment of our death. Amen.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!