The Immaculate Conception: Patroness of the United States of America

American Catholic History

Noelle & Tom Crowe

History, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Education

5 • 724 Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2024

⏱️ 18 minutes

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Summary

In 1846, eight years before the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was solemnly defined by Pope Pius IX, the bishops of the United States declared Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception to be the Patroness of the United States of America. Since the earliest days of the Church, Catholics have believed that Mary was preserved by God from Original Sin from the moment of her conception. This devotion has an early history in the Americas as well — when Christopher Columbus came over, his flagship was named in honor of the Immaculate Conception - Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción. By the middle of the 19th century, the Church was really emerging as a major force in the life of America, and her bishops were gaining greater notice and respect around the world. Two prominent American prelates, Archbishop Francis Kenrick of Baltimore and Bishop John Hughes of New York, both had great devotions to Our Lady. Though they were diametrically opposed in temperament and episcopal style, both pushed for the American bishops to name the Immaculate Conception the Patroness of the United States at the Sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1846. They were successful. Then both were present in Rome eight years later when Pope Pius IX declared the dogma. In fact, the American decision to name the Immaculate Conception as Patroness is believed to have been a factor in Pius IX's decision to declare the dogma. Further, Archbishop Kenrick, who was an internationally respected theologian at the time, aided Pius IX in formulating the rationale and the declaration. Since that time, many U.S. cathedrals and parish churches, plus the massive shrine in Washington, DC, have been dedicated in honor of the Immaculate Conception. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to American Catholic History, brought to you by the support of listeners like you.
0:11.0	If you like this podcast and would like to support our work, please visit Americancatholic
0:16.2	history.org slash support. I'm Noelle Heistere. And I'm Tom Crow.
0:21.7	Today we're talking about our blessed mother and how in 1846 she was named patroness of the
0:29.2	United States under the title of Immaculate Conception.
0:33.2	In a day and age when the life of the child in the womb from the moment of conception is a source of
0:38.3	contention, this patronage really means so much. Yeah, you're not kidding. Not only because of
0:43.6	the example it gives, but the value of the child in the womb, but also because of the special
0:48.5	graces that flow from our lady as patroness, and we need them. Yeah, we do. Now, we should clarify a few things here to make sure our listeners understand what we're
0:58.8	talking about.
1:00.2	First, what the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not.
1:04.8	The Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary, from the moment of her conception,
1:10.0	was preserved from original sin. Right. This is not the teaching that Mary, from the moment of her conception, was preserved from original sin.
1:12.6	Right. This is not the teaching that Christ was conceived in Mary's womb without a human
1:16.6	father. That's what happened at the Annunciation. The Immaculate Conception has to do with
1:22.0	Mary's conception in the womb of her mother, Anne. And Anne's husband, Jokham, was Mary's father through natural means.
1:29.4	But through a special grace of God, Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin.
1:34.9	One additional point on this. It does not mean that Mary did not need a savior.
1:39.7	Mary did not avoid original sin through her own merits. Rather, Mary was preserved from original sin
1:46.0	by a special grace of God, saving her in light of the sacrifice that Jesus would make on the
1:51.8	cross. Yeah, this sort of thing, applying effects of an action before the action is completed
1:56.1	is, of course, impossible for humans. We are subject to time and things being kind of linear in time.
	...

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