In a Dec. 8 statement marking the feast of the Immaculate Conception, President Donald Trump called it “a Holy Day honoring the faith, humility, and love of Mary, mother of Jesus and one of the greatest figures in the Bible.”
“On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Catholics celebrate what they believe to be Mary’s freedom from original sin as the mother of God,” the statement said. “She first entered recorded history as a young woman when, according to Holy Scripture, the Angel Gabriel greeted her in the village of Nazareth with news of a miracle: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you,” announcing that “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.”
“In one of the most profound and consequential acts of history, Mary heroically accepted God’s will with trust and humility: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word,’” it continued. “Mary’s decision forever altered the course of humanity. Nine months later, God became man when Mary gave birth to a son, Jesus, who would go on to offer his life on the Cross for the redemption of sins and the salvation of the world.”
The feast, which marks the Church’s teaching that Mary was preserved from original sin at her conception by a unique grace from God, is a holy day of obligation for Catholics.
The statement said, “For nearly 250 years, Mary has played a distinct role in our great American story,” noting in 1792, the first bishop of the United States, Bishop John Carroll – who was a cousin to Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence – consecrated the nation to Mary under the title Immaculate Conception.
Trump also praised “American legends like Elizabeth Ann Seton, Frances Xavier Cabrini, and Fulton Sheen, who spent their lives glorifying God in service to others, have held a deep devotion to Mary.”
“In her honor, and on a day so special to our Catholic citizens, we remember the sacred words that have brought aid, comfort, and support to generations of American believers in times of need,” the statement said. It concluded with the text of the Hail Mary.
First lady Melania Trump is Catholic. On May 25, 2017, during her husband’s first term, her spokeswoman confirmed her religion in a statement to CNN. The confirmation came a day after the president and first lady had a brief audience at the Vatican with Pope Francis, who blessed Melania’s rosary. “Shortly after her visit with Pope Francis,” CNN reported, the first lady “tweeted a photo, saying she was ‘humbled by the honor’ to have visited with the pontiff.”
President Trump publicly identifies as a nondenominational Christian. Vice President JD Vance is the second Catholic to hold that office.
