Dear families, dear students, dear Sisters, it’s a joy to be with you this evening at St. Rose Academy as we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a feast especially beloved by the Dominican tradition, which has always honored Mary as our mother, model, and queen. In addition, she is the patroness of our nation, adding a special solemnity to our celebration as we invoke her prayers for our country.

Tonight, we remember something amazing: before Mary ever said a word, before she ever prayed her Magnificat, before she ever held the Child Jesus, she was already the masterpiece of God’s grace. As the Church teaches, from the very first moment of her conception, “Mary was preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” God prepared her, like a new and spotless ark, to welcome His Son into the world.

Genesis gives us the backdrop: the sorrow of the fall, the wound of sin, the turning away from God, the misuse of freedom. But even there, God promises a woman whose “yes,” given in freedom, will undo the “no” of Adam and Eve. Mary is that woman, the new Eve, and her child, Jesus, is the new Adam. Their victory is our victory.

In the Gospel tonight, the angel Gabriel brings the most astonishing message ever delivered: “Rejoice… the Lord is with you.” And Mary answers with humility and courage: “Let it be done to me according to Your word.”

Parents, that moment teaches us that God’s grace is not abstract—it is personal and concrete. God wants to work through your lives, your marriages, your families, your vocations. Children, Mary shows you what true greatness looks like: not loudness or fame, but a heart wide open to God.

The Dominican Sisters here at St. Rose live this Marian spirit every day—joyful, contemplative, dedicated to truth. They teach your children not only math and literature, but how to let God’s grace surprise them and allow them to become truly themselves.

As we celebrate Mary today, we also celebrate our own destiny, our own future. St. Paul tells us that we, too, are chosen, blessed, and destined “for the praise of His glory,” (i.e., to become saints). What God did in Mary at her conception is the future God wants for us in Heaven: to be completely filled with His grace, free of every burden, alive in His love.

That is why Mary is not just an idea—she is a mother, drawing us closer to Christ. As St. John Paul II loved to say, “To Jesus through Mary.” She leads us, gently but surely, to the Savior she carried in her heart before she carried Him in her womb.

So tonight, under her mantle, we entrust our families, our school, our students, and our beloved Dominican community to Mary Immaculate. May she teach us how to say “yes” to God with joy—today and every day. May God bless you!