Conception of the Virgin Mary

The Feast of the Conception of the Virgin Mary is a liturgical holiday celebrated by the Orthodox Church on December 9, marking the conception of the Virgin Mary by her mother Saint Anne.

This feast is not ranked among the Great Feasts of the church year, but is a lesser-ranking feast (Polyeleos).

Unlike the Roman Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8, the Orthodox feast is not a perfect nine months before the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos (September 8) as it is in the West, but a day later.

Contrast with Immaculate Conception

While the Orthodox Church has never accepted the Roman Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception She believes that the Virgin Mary was, from her conception, filled with every grace of the Holy Spirit, in view of her calling as the Mother of God; She does not teach that she was conceived without original sin, as their understanding of this doctrine differs from the Roman Catholic articulation.^[1]

Most Orthodox do affirm that Mary is "all-holy" and never committed a personal sin during her lifetime (a notable exception to this belief is St. John Chrysostom, who said that she sinned by presumption at the Marriage at Cana).

References

1. ^ Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church (Penguin Books, 1963, ISBN 0-14-020592-6), pp. 263-4.