The Virgin Birth of the Virgin Mary 

Virgin Mary entered the Temple of Jerusalem. (The Immaculate Conception occurred in a passageway under 

the Temple of Jerusalem. The Virgin Mary was created within the Temple of Jerusalem, so that she could be 

the Temple in which God Incarnate would dwell.) 

    There is currently no feast in the Church, that I know of, celebrating the 80th day from the Birth of the 

Virgin Mary, which was the day of Saint Ann's Purification in the Temple. There should be such a celebration 

in the Church's liturgical calendar, because this event was required by Sacred Scripture (Lev 12) and because 

this event paralleled and foreshadowed the day of the Virgin Mary's Purification in the Temple, called the 

Presentation of the Lord. Since the Virgin Mary was born on August 5 of 30 

B.C.

, the 80th day inclusive from 

her birth was Oct. 23 of 30 

B.C.

 This new feast should be celebrated on Oct. 23 in the liturgical calendar. (See 

chapter 15 for more suggested changes to the liturgical calendar.) 

Mary, Virgin of the Temple 

    There is a feast celebrated in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church under the name of  The Presentation of 

the Blessed Virgin Mary,  which falls on Nov. 21. However, this feast is generally thought of as a celebration 

of the Virgin Mary's entrance into the Temple of Jerusalem when she began her years of service in the Temple 

as one of the Temple virgins. The Church is correct in celebrating as a feast the day the Virgin Mary began her 

service in the Temple. However, the name of this feast should be changed to avoid confusion with the day of 

Saint Ann's Purification in the Temple. 

    In the Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church, this feast is celebrated under the name of the  Feast of the 

Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. 

546

 The Eastern Orthodox Churches also celebrate this feast under 

the same name,  Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. 

547

 The liturgies of the Eastern Churches 

explicitly recognize this feast as the remembrance of Mary's entrance into the service of the Temple when she 

was a young child. Perhaps the universal Church should adopt the Eastern Churches tradition of calling this 

feast the  Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple.  

    When the Virgin Mary was quite young, she went to live in the Temple of Jerusalem as one among many 

young girls dedicated to the service of God.

548

 She and the other girls lived in one of the buildings surrounding 

the Temple Sanctuary.

549

 The Virgin Mary's entrance into her years of prayer, worship, and service in the 

Temple is sometimes called  the Presentation of the Virgin Mary,  and is commemorated in the current 

liturgical calendar, in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church on Nov. 21. The Eastern Rite of the Catholic 

Church, and many other Eastern Churches, celebrate this same event under the title,  Feast of the Entrance of 

the Theotokos into the Temple.  

    The Virgin Mary lived and served at the Temple of Jerusalem until shortly before her betrothal to Saint 

Joseph, when she was some months past 14 years of age counting from birth.

550

 She was still 14 years old 

when the Annunciation occurred, on February 25 of 15 

B.C.

551

 Counting from her Immaculate Conception, the 

Virgin Mary was just over 15 years of age when she was dismissed from the Temple and betrothed to Saint 

Joseph. At the Birth of her Divine Son Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary was about 15 years and 3 months old 

counting from birth, and about 16 years old counting from the beginning of her life at the Immaculate 

Conception. 

     Mary was three years and three months old when she made the vow to join the virgins in the Temple.  

552

    Here Blessed Anne Catherine explains that the Virgin Mary began her service in the Temple of Jerusalem 

when she was three years and three months old. Blessed Anne Catherine always figures the ages of Mary and 

Jesus in the usual way, counting from birth. She received her visions of the day that the Virgin Mary entered 

the service of God at the Temple of Jerusalem on November 8.

553

 Although she does not explicitly tell us the 

date of Mary's entrance into the Temple, she usually received her visions either on the same day of the month 

as the event occurred, or on the  day of the liturgical celebration of the event. The day of the liturgical 

celebration is Nov. 21, therefore Nov. 8 was most likely the actual month and day of the event. 

    Notice that November 8 is both the date of the Immaculate Conception and the date of the Virgin Mary's 

entrance into the Temple. The Virgin Mary's first entrance into the Temple was at her Immaculate 

Conception, which took place in a passageway under the Temple.

554

 Her second entrance into the Temple of 

Jerusalem was at Saint Ann's Purification on the 80th day from her birth, when she was presented to God. 

131