Immaculate Conception Day, also known as The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, is one of the most important feast days related to Mary in the Roman Catholic Church liturgy. Celebrating the day on December 8, 2023, the Oak Knoll community gathered in the Mother Mary Campion Center for the Performing Arts for a Mass and Eucharist.

Joining voices in song, prayer, and celebration of our many blessings, students, faculty, and staff reflected on the Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Conception. As we approach Christmas, this service is one of many beloved events during the holidays that make Oak Knoll such a cherished place for students, as well as current families and alumnae/i.

In his homily, Fr. Matthew Gonzalez, Parochial Vicar at St. Bartholomew the Apostle in Scotch Plains, said, “So now we have to ask ourselves, ‘What does this feast have to do with you and me? What does it have to do with our personal lives?’ Well, friends, just as Mary was given grace and was blessed with a specific mission and purpose in her life, all of us here have also been blessed and given grace. Why? Because you and I have been made with a mission in mind. All of us here have a purpose. And so God has blessed us so that we, like Mary, can go out into the world and bring the love of Jesus and His peace and His joy to our family and our friends here in our school community.”

Throughout the year, but especially evident during the Christmas season, Oak Knoll remains “Rooted in Purpose” and a community committed to learning, love, and service.