On this great solemnity, Fr. Chris reflects on the mystery at the heart of the Marian Fathers’ charism: the Immaculate Conception—God’s greatest act of mercy ever given to a creature. Despite the grief of losing his father just days earlier, he reminds us that Our Lady’s purity is the blueprint for our own path to holiness. Long before the dogma was defined in 1854, the Church cherished this truth in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, seen in Gabriel’s greeting, “Hail, full of grace,” revealing Mary as wholly transformed by divine life.

Today on Saints in Focus, Br. Alex Chung, MIC takes us through the life of St. Hilary of Poitiers. During his life, St. Hilary was a bishop, and has since gone on to become a Doctor of the Church. With his feast day coming up on Jan. 13, we say, St. Hilary of Poitiers, pray for us!

Is St. Mary Magdalene the same person as St. Mary of Bethany, the sister of St. Lazarus and St. Martha? Is she the same person as the penitent woman in Luke 7:36-50? In 2021, Pope Francis added the names of Mary of Bethany and Lazarus to the July 29 memorial of St. Martha, making it a liturgical celebration of all three family members. Does this change the Church's traditional understanding of who Mary Magdalene was, whose feast day is celebrated on July 22? Listen to Fr. Matthew Tomeny, MIC explain what we know about St. Mary Magdalene according to the prayers of the Church.