Our Lady Immaculately Conceived is the patroness of the United States of America

Tomorrow we celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. 

"Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed on December 8, 1854: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." — Catechism of the Catholic Church"

I have always honored this special day, but for some reason it never registered that Our Lady of Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States.  I had only thought of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of the Americas.  I did some research about when she became our patroness...

"The young Church in America, already dedicated to Mary, petitioned as an act of public veneration of the Immaculate Conception, to have the title of its patronage changed to Mary Immaculate.

Archbishop Samuel Eccleston of Baltimore called the Sixth Provincial Council of the Church in America in 1846. Twenty-two bishops responded, and the Council passed as its first decree the resolution to choose Mary Immaculate as the Patroness of the United States and to make December 8th the patronal feast. In the Pastoral Letter issued by the Council, dated May 5, 1846, we read:

"We take this occasion, brethren, to communicate to you the determination, unanimously adopted by us, to place ourselves and all entrusted to our charge throughout the United States, under the special patronage of the holy Mother of God, whose Immaculate Conception is venerated by the piety of the faithful throughout the Catholic Church. By the aid of her prayers, we entertain the confident hope that we will be strengthened to perform the arduous duties of our ministry, and that you will be enabled to practice the sublime virtues, of which her life presents the most perfect example."

The following year the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda Fide sent its announcement that "our Holy Father Pius IX most willingly confirmed the wishes of the Council that has selected the Blessed Virgin, conceived without sin, as the patroness of the Church in the United States of America."

This was in 1847 and the dogma was not defined until 1854. The Seventh Provincial Council in 1849 petitioned the Holy See for the definition of the dogma and called upon all the faithful to offer daily prayer that the Holy Father would hasten the pronouncement. When it came on December 8, 1854, every church in the country held services of thanksgiving. The Eighth Provincial Council, in 1855, gave official expression to the rejoicing of the people. Eleven years later, 1866, the second Council decreed that December 8 be observed in every diocese as a holy day of obligation."

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"Mary Immaculate Patroness of America" by Most Rev. Richard J. Cushing, D.D., LL.D. Archbishop of Boston

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