Thank you for this beautiful thread.
My husband and I went to Mass for the Holy Day, and like other Holy Day Masses, it seems only about half of the amount of worshipers attend the Hold Day Masses, as attend the Sunday Masses.
Do not Catholics know it is obligatory for them to go to these Masses, just as it is to go to Mass on Sundays. Perhaps the priests need to remind them.
Yes, most do not know that it is a Holy Day of Obligation. The point is, however, did the priest do a little catechizing on it and emphasize that the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States, and we need her now more than ever to intercede for us.
Our priest did it without being pushy — and my post above tells you how it turned out.