On Monday, December 8, early in the morning, the parish community of the Church of Saint Savior in Jerusalem gathered to celebrate together the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V. Mary, Patroness and Queen of the Seraphic Order.

The solemn Holy Mass, celebrated by Fr. Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, took place in the Church of Saint Savior, where, for the occasion, an altar dedicated to the B.V. Mary, Patroness of the Franciscan Order, had been prepared. In addition, the main altar and the liturgical vestments were adorned in blue, the color associated with celebrations of the Virgin Mary, which the Franciscan Order has the privilege of using due to its historical defense of the Marian dogma, as established by the Council of Trent (1545–1563).

The close relationship of the Franciscans with the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Franciscan Order, since its origins, has devoted itself with dedication to the Immaculate Virgin, cultivating prayer, devotion, formation, and pastoral activity inspired by her. Indeed, in all Franciscan churches the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V. Mary has been celebrated for centuries on December 8, long before the official proclamation of the dogma in 1854.

Saint Francis himself, as his biographers recall, nurtured a profound and indescribable love for the Mother of Jesus. With his example, he laid the foundations of that great devotion which, throughout the centuries, has led the Franciscan Order to honor the B.V. Mary, she who gave Christ “the true flesh of our humanity and fragility, making him our brother.”

Tota pulchra es Maria: the beauty that saves

In the three days preceding the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V. Mary, Fr. Lorenzo Pagani led the Fraternity of Saint Savior and the faithful in the prayer of Vespers, in preparation for the celebration of the Immaculate Conception.

The meditations of the triduum focused on the verse “You are all beautiful, Mary, and original sin is not in you”: these are the opening words of the hymn Tota Pulchra, which since the 4th century has testified to Christian faith in the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin.

The first meditation focused on the original beauty of the B.V. Mary, the second on wounded and redeemed beauty—that is, on the journey from sin to grace—while the third centered on the beauty that calls, meaning how the Holy Virgin invites us to become what we contemplate, a theme also taken up by the Custos of the Holy Land in the homily of the solemn Holy Mass.

The Custos’ invitation: Let us not settle for mediocrity

Today, December 8, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, celebrated the solemn Holy Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V. Mary.

The celebration began with the incensation, by the Custos of the Holy Land, of the altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, specially arranged for the occasion next to the main altar of the Church of Saint Savior.

In his homily, Fr. Francesco Ielpo wished to recall how the B.V. Mary announces a message of hope in daily life. The Custos of the Holy Land emphasized that the Solemnity of the Immaculate reminds us first and foremost of the seriousness of sin, which truly stains the heart of man and threatens his dignity. Today, Fr. Ielpo stated, the sense of sin is often lost, and wrong attitudes are accepted merely because they are common. It is therefore necessary to return continually to confronting the Word of God, which must be interiorized as a criterion for concrete life.

Finally, the Custos recalled that alongside the awareness of sin, the feast of the Immaculate brings a message of hope: God does not give up on human frailty and continues to seek us, call us, and desire to embrace us again. Grace is stronger than evil, and holiness is possible.