For students of history, you will recall that the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was solemnly proclaimed by Bl. Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854. It would be a mistake, however, to approach today’s feast as if it were a theological technicality or mere curiosity. What we are actually celebrating today is our salvation. And in this gift from God, he offers not a patch on a broken life, but a new creation.