There Are 3 Marian Feasts This Week and They're Perfect for Advent

And one of them is today, the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto of the Holy House, miraculously transported by Angels from Nazareth to Italy.

From Aleteia

By Daniel Esparza

Having all three observances fall within the same week is partly a calendar quirk, yet it reveals something about the breadth of Marian tradition.

The liturgical calendar offers a miniature Marian season in early and mid-December. Within just a few days, the Church observes three distinct celebrations of Mary, each highlighting a different aspect of her place in Christian life, history, and culture -- and each linked to the joy of new life. None of them competes with the central rhythm of Advent, but together they create a brief, illuminating panorama of Marian devotion across continents and centuries.

December 8

The week begins with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, one of the Church’s highest-ranking celebrations. Often misunderstood as referring to Jesus’ conception, the solemnity instead affirms that Mary herself was “preserved immune from all stain of original sin […] by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God” (CCC 491).

For many Catholics, the day signals both theological clarity and cultural memory, since the doctrine matured over centuries before being formally defined in 1854. Its placement during Advent underscores Mary’s role in salvation history without overshadowing the season’s focus on expectation.

The first reading at the Mass for this day recounts Jesus' conception, but it also gives Gabriel's greeting: "full of grace" -- unlike the rest of us, she didn't inherit sin from Adam and Eve, and was, from the moment of her conception in the womb of St. Anne, filled with God's holiness.

December 10

Two days later comes a newer entry in the universal calendar: the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto on December 10. Pope Francis added it to the whole Church's calendar in 2019, linking the date to the longstanding tradition surrounding the Holy House of Nazareth preserved in Loreto, Italy.

The site has long been a point of reference for aviation workers, young people discerning their vocations, and families drawn to its emphasis on ordinary domestic life. By elevating Loreto to a memorial, the Pope sought to give worldwide visibility to a devotion that had already shaped Catholic culture in Italy and beyond. The memorial doesn’t demand elaborate liturgies — its “optional” status keeps it “lightweight” — but it provides a moment for global Catholics to acknowledge the significance of a house associated with the Incarnation’s daily reality.

And again, what a celebration for Advent. As we walk with Mary in these last few weeks of pregnancy, it's easy to think of all the "homey" bits of preparation. The final stitches on the little garments, the visits from neighbors, the extra excitement at every meal ... and all of this happened in the House of Loreto.

December 12

The week concludes on December 12 with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a celebration with enormous influence in the Americas. While it appears as an optional memorial in some regions, it is a full feast in many dioceses (and for some, a holy day of obligation) and a central cultural event for millions of Mexican and Latino Catholics.

The 1531 apparitions to Juan Diego, together with the enduring image on the tilma, shaped not only the evangelization of the hemisphere but the visual identity of popular Catholicism. Guadalupe stands at the intersection of faith, culture, and history, communicating dignity to Indigenous peoples and offering a Marian image that speaks across linguistic and national boundaries.

Again, the Advent link: One of the most special elements of Mary in Guadalupe is that she's "visibly pregnant" -- if you know the code, as Juan Diego and the Indigenous Mexicans surely would have. The sash around her waist indicates a child is within. As we give thanks for her assurance, "Am I not here, I who am your mother?" we also rejoice with her that the Little One is soon to arrive!

Having all three observances fall within the same week is partly a calendar quirk, yet it reveals something about the breadth of Marian tradition: Mary is 1) a woman preserved by grace, 2) a mother linked to a simple home, and 3) a figure who transformed the spiritual landscape with the simplicity of expectation and assurance.

Pictured (top): The Basilica Church housing the Holy House.