Joshua Bennett
Marian feast days are specific holy days celebrated by Christians of local, regional, national, or international importance. They are held to venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary and are celebrated within the framework of the General Roman Calendar. The number and nature of these feasts vary among different Christian traditions, with Roman Catholics observing significantly more titles, feasts, and venerative Marian practices than any other Christian tradition. These feasts may be held within the family, around a May Altar, or as part of Catholic life. The most important Marian feasts in the Calendar are Mary's Divine Motherhood, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, and the Annunciation of the Lord.
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What You'll Learn
The Feast of the Assumption
The Catholic Church teaches that when Mary's earthly life ended, God assumed her, body and soul, into heaven. This belief is called the "immortalistic interpretation". However, some Catholics believe that Mary died before being assumed into heaven, but that she was miraculously resurrected before her assumption—this belief is known as the "mortalistic interpretation".
The history of the feast day and the mystery behind it have their roots in the earliest centuries of Christian belief. While a site outside of Jerusalem was recognised as the tomb of Mary, the earliest Christians maintained that "no one was there". According to St. John of Damascus, the Roman emperor Marcian requested the body of Mary, the mother of God, at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
The belief in the assumption of Mary has been a widely held tradition and a frequent subject of meditation in the writings of saints throughout the centuries. It was not until 1950, however, that Pope Pius XII made an infallible, "ex cathedra" statement in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, officially defining the dogma of the Assumption. In his statement, Pope Pius XII proclaimed:
> "By the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."
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The Immaculate Conception
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8, is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics. The day is marked with Masses, parades, fireworks, processions, food and cultural festivities in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The concept of the Immaculate Conception is distinct from the idea that Christ's conception in Mary's womb occurred without the intervention of a human father. It also differs from the belief that Mary was conceived "by the power of the Holy Spirit", in the way Jesus was. The essence of original sin is the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace and was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first instant of her existence.
The view that Mary had been spared from original sin was not clearly articulated until the 12th century, and considerable debate took place in the centuries that followed. The idea was gradually accepted, reflected in the teachings of various popes and church councils. On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX, urged by Catholic bishops around the world, solemnly defined the Immaculate Conception as a Catholic dogma.
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The Annunciation
Marian feast days vary among different Christian traditions, with Roman Catholics observing significantly more titles, feasts, and venerative Marian practices than any other Christian tradition. The Feast of the Annunciation is observed almost universally throughout Christianity, especially within the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, and the Anglican Communion.
The Feast of the Annunciation is a major Marian feast, classified as a solemnity in the Catholic Church, a festival in Lutheranism, and a principal feast in the Anglican Communion. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is counted as one of the eight great feasts of the Lord, as it announces the incarnation of Christ. The feast is considered extremely important, especially in the Catholic Church, with the Angelus and Hail Mary prayers, its position as the first Joyful Mystery of the Dominican Rosary, the Novena for the Feast of the Annunciation, and its numerous depictions in Christian art.
The Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25, commemorating the belief that the spring equinox was the day of God's act of creation and the beginning of Christ's redemption. The date is close to the vernal equinox, just as Christmas is to the winter solstice. This date, March 25, was also assigned by Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525 as the beginning of the new year, as according to Christian doctrine, the age of grace began with the Incarnation of Christ at the Annunciation. This is when Jesus Christ is believed to have been conceived in the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.
The earliest evidence of the Feast of the Annunciation is from the 5th or 6th century. The first certain mentions of the feast are in a canon of the Council of Toledo in 656, where it was described as celebrated throughout the Church. In the tradition of the Western Churches, the feast is moved if necessary to avoid it falling during Holy Week or Easter Week, or on a Sunday. However, in the Eastern churches, the feast of the Annunciation is never moved under any circumstances, and they have special combined liturgies for years when the Annunciation coincides with another feast.
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The Feast of Our Lady of Victory
Marian feast days are dedicated to the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary and are celebrated by Roman Catholics and other Christian traditions. One such feast day is the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, also known as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. This feast day is celebrated on October 7th and commemorates the victory of the combined fleet of the Holy League over the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Lepanto on October 7th, 1571.
The Battle of Lepanto was a significant event in Christian history. The Ottoman Turks had become a serious threat to Christian nations, particularly those in the Mediterranean region. Venice, vulnerable to Ottoman attacks, appealed to Pope Pius V for help. In response, Pius V proposed the formation of the Holy League, a coalition of southern European Catholic maritime states, including Spain, Venice, Naples, Genoa, and Malta.
On October 7th, 1571, the Holy League fleet, despite being outnumbered, defeated the Ottoman navy in a decisive battle near Lepanto, located in the Gulf of Corinth off the western coast of Greece. This victory was attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Pope Pius V instituted the Feast of Our Lady of Victory to commemorate this triumph. The feast day was later renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary by Pope Gregory XIII in 1573 and is celebrated annually on October 7th in the General Roman Calendar.
It is important to note that the title "Our Lady of Victory" has been associated with other feast days in various churches. For example, in Toledo, Spain, a feast day is celebrated on September 6th to commemorate the victory of Cardinal Infant Ferdinand at Nordlingen in 1634. Additionally, on the second Sunday of November, the Feast of Our Lady of Victory is observed in Prague, Bohemia, and at Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, commemorating the Battle of Weissenberg in 1620. These feast days, while sharing the title of "Our Lady of Victory," are distinct from the feast established by Pope Pius V after the Battle of Lepanto.
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The Feast of the Immaculate Heart
The devotion to the Immaculate Heart is an old tradition within the Church, with references to it appearing as early as the 7th century in the works of Ildefonsus of Toledo. The feast day itself, however, was not established until much later. In 1805, Pope Pius VII allowed a feast to honour the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and in 1849, Anthony Mary Claret founded the congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, commonly known as the Claretians.
The date of the feast has changed over time. Initially, it was celebrated on 8 February by John Eudes and his followers. In 1944, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. However, in 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration to the Saturday immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is the third Saturday after Pentecost. This change brought the feast into closer association with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Queenship of Mary, which is also celebrated on 22 August.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary is often depicted in traditional art with seven swords or wounds piercing it. These represent the seven major sorrows experienced by the Virgin Mary throughout her life, especially during the Passion of Christ. Devotional practices and prayers dedicated to meditating on these seven sorrows are part of the feast day observances.
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Frequently asked questions
Marian feasts are specific holy days celebrated by Christians of local, regional, national, or international importance. They are held to venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and her role in Jesus Christ's life and his message.
There are four types of Catholic Marian feasts, ranked in order of importance: solemnity, feast, memorial, and optional memorial.
Some examples of Catholic Marian feasts include the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Feast of the Assumption, the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart.
Catholic Marian feasts take place on specific days throughout the year, such as February 2, August 5, August 15, September 8, November 21, and December 8. The month of May is also dedicated to Mary, and October is the Month of the Rosary.
