MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged Filipinos on Thursday to emulate the Virgin Mary as the country marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
“Like Mary, may we also strive to resign from our individualistic tendencies and aspire to generously give ourselves without expecting anything in return,” Marcos said in a statement.
He added, “In the end, what we can bring into our everlasting home are those we cherish deep in our hearts, not the possessions we can only hold in our hands.”
Pope Clement XI designated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which marks the day when it is believed that Mary was conceived without original sin, as a holy day of obligation requiring Catholics to celebrate Mass.
The belief that Mary was conceived without original sin was proclaimed dogma by Pope Pius IX.
Pope Pius XII declared the Virgin Mary as the principal patroness of the Philippines in an apostolic letter on September 12, 1942. — Xave Gregorio