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| With her arms down, she raised her eyes to heaven and then folding her hands over her breast she said, "I am the Immaculate Conception." |
Allelúja, allelúja. Tota pulchra es, María: et mácula originális non est in te. Allelúja. ~ Canticles 4:7 (1)Monday evening, my brethren and I celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan. A holy day of obligation, it is also the patronal feast of these United States of America and the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Inside, the city’s noise dissolved at once; only the soft glow of candles and the hush of expectation remained. The traditional Latin Mass unfolded like a jewel in the dark—a solemn offering for Our Lady conceived without sin, the pure dawn before the world’s true Light. Incense rose in delicate spirals, veiling the sanctuary as though Heaven itself had drawn nearer. Buona Festa dell'Immacolata!
~ Giovanni di Napoli, December 8th, Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Notes:
(1) Alleluia, alleluia. Thou art all fair, O Mary, and there is in thee no stain of original sin.Alleluia. ~ Canticles (Song of Solomon) 4:7