Explore and reflect on the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary with this lesson plan and activity ideas.
Immaculate Conception Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to explain why the Blessed Virgin Mary was immaculately conceived.
- Students will feel inspired to live a holy life by the fiat of Mary.
Immaculate Conception Lesson Activities
Hook Presentation: Statue of Mary
Bring in a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary or point to one in your classroom. (Or take your students to see a statue of the Virgin Mary in another place in your school or parish.)
Ask students to point out the details of the image and the meaning that each detail may have.
After they finish pointing out the details of the statue, direct their attention to two details:
- White and Blue: The white of Mary’s clothing stand for her purity and the blue stand for her royalty as Queen of Heaven.
- The Snake: Why is Mary stepping on a snake? This refers to the prophecy about her in Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers, he will strike at your head, and you will strike his heel.” Unlike Eve who gave into the temptation of the fallen angel Satan, the New Eve Mary gives in to God’s will through the Angel Gabriel.
Present: What is the Immaculate Conception?
The meaning of the Immaculate Conception may be one of the most misunderstood teachings of the Catholic Church. While many people improperly use the term to describe the birth of Jesus, the Immaculate Conception refers to the Virgin Mary. It was Mary, the Mother of God, who was immaculately conceived through the union of two human parents.
Jesus was not conceived by human parents. The incarnation was a miraculous event. God is the Father of Jesus and the Virgin Mary is his mother.
If Jesus Christ was born without the stain of Original Sin, then his human mother gave birth to him without that same state of sin. Mary was “full of grace” before she bore her son Jesus Christ.
Here is how the dogma is defined by Pope Pius IX in Ineffabilis Deus:
“We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”
The Gospels, which tell the story of the life of Jesus Christ, do not contain stories of the early lives of Jesus’ mother. The story of Mary’s birth, therefore, is not in the Bible.
The primary Biblical source of the dogma is found in the “proto-evangelium” in Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.” Mary is often shown in statues and paintings to be standing on a serpent in reference to this enmity between her and the devil.
Many of the early Church Fathers refer to the Blessed Virgin Mary as the “New Eve” just as Jesus Christ is the “New Adam” (1 Corinthians 5). Through Adam and Eve Original Sin is passed on from one generation to the next, but through Jesus Christ (New Adam), the son of the Virgin Mary (New Eve), grace is bestowed instead.
The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
Download the Immaculate Conception Video Worksheet
Download the graphic organizer for students to complete while they watch the video about the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Present: Understanding Original Sin
For a better understanding of Original Sin, share this video:
Practice: Correct the Immaculate Conception Sentences
Have students correct each of these sentences about the Immaculate Conception:
- Jesus Christ was immaculately conceived without Original Sin.
- The Immaculate Conception refers to the birth of Jesus Christ.
- Mary is the only human person born without Original Sin.
Meditation: The Fiat of Mary Meditation
Mary’s response to the Angel Gabriel’s declaration at the Annunciation is known as the Fiat.
Fiat is the Latin term for the words we read in the Bible as “let it be done.” It is Mary’s “yes” to the angel’s visit at the Annunciation.
Her Immaculate Conception prepared her for this important opportunity.
Invite students to reflect on their “fiat.”
- What is God calling you to do right now?
- What is God calling you to be for others?
- What is holding you back from saying to God, “let it be done to me”?
Prayer: The Hail Mary
Each time we pray the Hail Mary, we affirm our belief in her Immaculate Conception as “full of grace.” Join in praying the words of this popular prayer as we ask for her prayers as sinners:
Proof: Immaculate Conception Assessment
Complete the following IF/THEN statements about the Immaculate Conception, then answer the follow question.
- If we inherited Original Sin our parents, then our parents inherited Original Sin from __________.
- If Mary was born with Original Sin, then __________ would have been born with Original Sin.
- If Jesus Christ was born without Original Sin, then his Mother Mary was born without __________.
- If we are born with Original Sin, then it must be taken away by __________.
- Why was Mary immaculately conceived without Original Sin?
[Answers: our parents, Jesus Christ, Original Sin, Jesus Christ (or sanctifying grace)]
