PORTLAND — Bishop Robert Deeley will celebrate Mass on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on Friday, Jan. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. The Mass will be live-streamed at www.portlanddiocese.org/online-Mass.
Mass listings at Maine parishes for the solemnity, both on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, are now available at www.portlanddiocese.org/content/solemnity-mary-mother-god. The section also includes live-stream and registration information (where applicable).
The solemnity honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Theotokos, “the God-bearer,” who brings Jesus, the Son of God, into the world. On this holy feast day, Catholics take a moment as we start our new year to honor our Blessed Mother, who in her “yes” to God brought our Savior into the world to redeem us.
“At the beginning of a new year, we can learn from Mary. She asks herself how God is acting in her life. In her reflection, in her prayer, she holds the things that happen to her and she looks at the way in which God directs her life through those events,” said Bishop Deeley. “Does she understand it all? Clearly not. But Mary was faithful in reflecting on what was happening and seeking God’s will for her in it all. She was faithful to prayer as the grounding of her life. Mary’s attitude towards her life is a model for us.”