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Mary’s birthday: The Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary #Catholic The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception as the child of Sts. Joachim and Anne.The circumstances of the Virgin Mary’s infancy and early life are not directly recorded in the Bible, but other documents, legends, and traditions describing the circumstances of her birth are cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the first centuries of the Church.These accounts are not included in the canon of Scripture and thus lack authority, but they do reflect some of the Church’s traditional beliefs about the birth of Mary.One such non-Scriptural source is the early second century “Protoevangelium of James,” an infancy gospel offering pious legends about Mary that nevertheless affirms some of the earliest teachings of the Church on the Blessed Mother.The Protoevangelium describes Mary’s father, Joachim, as a wealthy member of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife, Anne, by their childlessness. “He called to mind Abraham,” the early Christian writing says, “that in the last day God gave him a son, Isaac.”Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves extensively and rigorously to prayer and fasting, initially wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God’s displeasure with them.As it turned out, however, the couple was to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah, as an angel revealed to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesied that all generations would honor their future child: “The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.”After Mary’s birth, according to the “Protoevangelium of James,” Anne “made a sanctuary” in the infant girl’s room and “allowed nothing common or unclean” on account of the special holiness of the child. The same writing records that when she was a year old, her father “made a great feast and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel.”“And Joachim brought the child to the priests,” the account continues, “and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations’ … And he brought her to the chief priests; and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever.’”The protoevangelium goes on to describe how Mary’s parents, along with the Temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated virgin for the rest of her life and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph.St. Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley,” he said.The fourth-century bishop, whose theology profoundly shaped the Western Church’s understanding of sin and human nature, affirmed that “through her birth, the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.”This story was first published on Sept. 5, 2010, and has been updated.

unitedyam September 8, 2026September 8, 2026

The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception.

Israeli court acquits nun’s attacker, orders up to 6 years in psychiatric care #Catholic An Israeli court has acquitted a West Bank settler who assaulted a French Catholic sister near Mount Zion in Jerusalem earlier this year, ordering up to six years in a psychiatric facility, Israeli media reported.Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Ophir Tischler acquitted Yona Schreiber citing an assessment from a district psychiatrist that found Schreiber was experiencing a psychotic episode during the attack and could not be found criminally responsible, according to The Jerusalem Post.The Aug. 26 ruling ordered Schreiber to be committed to an inpatient treatment facility for a maximum six years, though he may be released early if a psychiatric council determines his mental condition to be improved.The psychiatric assessment further diagnosed Schreiber with schizophrenia, media reports said. The assessment noted that a lack of conclusive evidence showing how Schreiber’s mental state led him to carry out the attack on the religious sister but said the illness influenced his actions nonetheless.Schreiber was arrested and charged in April with assault and hostility toward a religious group for pushing a Catholic sister to the ground and kicking her in the head. The April 28 assault took place on Mount Zion near King David’s Tomb, steps from Dormition Abbey.Videos of the attack circulated on social media, fueling a backlash and further outrage over persistent attacks against Christians in Israel and the West Bank.At the time, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it strongly condemned Schreiber’s actions, writing in an April 29 social media post: “Israel remains firmly committed to safeguarding freedom of religion and freedom of worship for all faiths, and to ensuring that Jerusalem remains a city where every community can live, pray, and practice its faith in safety and dignity.”

Pope Leo XIV: Violence against Palestinians in West Bank must stop #Catholic In his Sunday Angelus address on Aug. 16, Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling for a two-state solution and an end to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.“I renew my appeal for an end to the ongoing violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank, and I urgently call on the international community to work toward advancing the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace,“ Leo said in his address.The pope delivered his Angelus address once more from the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo after traveling there from the Vatican to celebrate the feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15, for which he also delivered an Angelus address. He will remain there from Aug. 12–18.The Vatican’s longtime support for a 2-state solutionThe pope and the Holy See have consistently called for a two-state solution to the conflict in the Holy Land.In 2025, Leo met separately with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents and discussed the solution with both heads of state.During a Sept. 23 press briefing with reporters at Castel Gandolfo, the pope highlighted the Vatican’s long-standing support for the two-state solution.“The Holy See has supported the two-state solution for many years,” the pope recalled, pointing out that the Vatican formally recognized Palestine in 2015 with the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement. “The Holy See recognized the two-state solution some time ago. That is clear: We must seek a path that respects all peoples.”Despite challenges, each person has own place with the FatherDuring his Angelus, Leo also preached on the Gospel of the day, recounting Jesus healing the daughter of a Canaanite woman. The pope noted the woman’s persistence and faith in seeking a miracle, despite Jesus and his disciples initially refusing her.“The disciples see her as a nuisance, and Jesus himself resists her pleas,” the pope said. “Reflecting upon this, we can understand Jesus’ obedience in fulfilling his mission by allowing himself to be moved by what he sees and hears. Finally, he says to her: ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’”From her persistence, Leo explained, the faithful can learn “humility and determination” and that “each person has his or her own place with the Father.”Tweet