Monday, December 9 is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (transferred from December 8, Second Sunday of Advent), a holy day without obligation to attend Mass. The Cathedral opens at 6:30am and closes at 6:30pm, and Masses and Confessions are celebrated as follows:
- 7am Mass
- 8am Mass
- 11am to Noon Confessions
- 12:10pm Mass (Archbishop Gregory)
- 5:30pm Mass
Join us for this feast that is so fittingly celebrated during Advent.
“The feast of the pure and sinless Conception of the Virgin Mary, which is a fundamental preparation for the Lord’s coming into the world, harmonizes perfectly with many of the salient themes of Advent. This feast also makes references to the long messianic waiting for the Saviour’s birth and recalls events and prophecies from the Old Testament, which also are used in the Liturgy of Advent.” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 102)
Take a Moment and Take a Look in the Cathedral!
The mosaic below is located to the left of the statue of Our Lady in Our Lady's Chapel. It shows angels holding back the curtain of time to reveal St. Joachim and St. Anne at the fountain of the Golden Gate. The scene is laid against the glow of the setting sun, symbolic of the advanced years of St. Anne and St. Joachim, when it was made known to them that they would have a child, Mary. Between them at the bottom of the mosaic flows a fountain. From this fountain there springs a genealogical rod, at the top of which St. Anne presents to the world her child, Mary, who is to be the Mother of Christ.
