Solemn Mass for the Immaculate Conception

On Monday 8 December 2025, a Solemn Pontifical Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Bishop Peter Collins presided over the liturgy, which highlighted the depth of the Church’s devotion to Our Lady and the beauty of God’s saving plan.

The feast recalls that Mary, from the moment of her conception, was preserved by God from the stain of original sin in view of the mission entrusted to her: to be the Mother of the Saviour. The readings chosen for the celebration illuminated this mystery from Scripture, revealing how God’s grace was preparing for the coming of Christ from the very beginning.

The first reading, Genesis 3:9–15, 20, brought the assembly back to the Garden of Eden where the fall of humanity is met immediately with a promise of redemption. The Lord’s words that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head have long been understood by the Church as the first announcement of salvation. Mary, the new Eve, stands at the centre of this promise as one who, unlike Eve, remains untouched by sin and wholly open to God’s will.

In the second reading, Ephesians 1:3–6, 11–12, St Paul’s powerful proclamation of God’s eternal choice further illuminated the feast. The faithful were reminded that Mary’s immaculate conception is not an isolated gift but part of God’s plan before the foundation of the world, a plan that brings grace and holiness to all through Christ. Mary is the first to receive that fullness of grace, reflecting the destiny God desires for the whole Church.

The proclamation of the Gospel from Luke 1:26–38 drew hearts and minds to the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel’s greeting, “Hail, full of grace”, resounded through the Cathedral, emphasising the purity and grace that filled Mary long before this moment. Her humble and courageous “yes” opened the way for the Word to become flesh.

Beautiful sacred music, prayerful reverence, and the solemnity of the liturgy combined to draw those present more deeply into the meaning of the feast. The Cathedral community rejoiced not only in honouring Mary but in acknowledging the mercy and love of God manifested in her immaculate beginning.

The Diocese of East Anglia gives thanks for this joyful and faith-filled celebration, entrusting the coming year to the loving intercession of the Immaculate Mother of God.

Photographs from the Mass can be viewed here.

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