Parishes plan celebrations for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Three Maine parishes are planning celebrations to commemorate  the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which the Catholic Church celebrates on September 8.

The Parish of the Precious Blood with hold a special Mass on September 8, the feast day, at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 333 Main Street in Presque Isle. The Mass will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a potluck supper in the Knights of Columbus Hall on 12 Chapman Road, behind the church.

Christ the Divine Mercy Parish will have a Mass at 6 p.m. at Mother Mary's Shrine, located at St. Peter Church, 58 Cedar Street in East Millinocket. The Mass will be followed by a procession and a birthday cake in honor of Mary. In the days leading up to the Mass, parishioners have also been joining nightly at the shrine to pray a novena and the Rosary.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary will also be celebrated by St. Peter the Fisherman Parish in Machias. The parish guild is holding Mary's Birthday Brunch on September 10 at Holy Name Parish Hall, 44 Broadway Street in Machias. The brunch will begin at 9:30 a.m., following the 8:30 a.m. Mass. Parishioners are encouraged to bring brunch items to share at the potluck event.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of only three birthdays the Church celebrates, the others being those of St. John the Baptist and of Jesus himself. The feast is commemorated ninth months after the celebration of Mary's Immaculate Conception (December 8). While there are no details in the Bible about Mary's birth, according to tradition, her parents were Saints Anne and Joachim. She is believed to have been born in Jerusalem.