The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Memorial
- Feast Day
- November 21
The Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary commemorates the tradition, attested in the second-century apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, that Mary was offered to the Lord in the Temple at Jerusalem at the age of three by her parents Joachim and Anne in fulfillment of a vow. The Church has never officially endorsed the historical details of this apocryphal narrative, but the underlying truth - that Mary was consecrated to God from the beginning of her life and prepared by grace for her unique role - is the substance the feast celebrates.
The feast originated in the East with the dedication of a church called Saint Mary the New, built next to the Temple precinct in Jerusalem and consecrated on November 21, 543. From there the observance spread through the Byzantine world and was carried to the West; Pope Gregory XI inserted it into the Roman calendar at Avignon in 1372. Pope Sixtus V extended it to the universal Latin Church in 1585. The 1969 calendar reform retained it as an Optional Memorial; Pope Saint John Paul II raised it to a Memorial.
The feast belongs to the cluster of Marian celebrations that contemplate Mary's whole person and life as God's preparation of a worthy dwelling for the Word. By tradition this is the day on which religious sisters and nuns renew their vows. The Memorial calls every baptized Christian to renew their own consecration to God, made for them at the font and ratified by their lives.
Catholic Churches Named After The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
12 parishes on Catholic Church Times share The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary's name. Find their Mass times, confession schedules, and adoration hours:
- St. Mary of the Presentation — Chesterville, ON
- Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church — Sacramento, CA
- Church of the Presentation — Upper Saddle River, NJ
- Our Lady of the Presentation — Lees Summit, MO
- Church of the Presentation — Stockton, CA
- Monastery of the Presentation of the Virgin
- St. Mary of the Presentation — Geneva, IN
- Our Lady of the Presentation — Poolesville, MD
- St. Mary of the Presentation — Breckenridge, MN
- St. Mary of the Presentation — Suffolk, VA
- Our Lady of the Presentation — Overland, MO
- Shrine of the Presentation — Corona, CA
Sources