August 15
The term “Assumption” refers to Mary being
“taken up” body and soul to Heaven.
The Solemnity of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 15
This is different from Jesus’ Ascension. Christ
ascended into Heaven by his own power, while
Mary’s Assumption was done by the power of God.
While this feast is very old and has been celebrated
universally since the sixth century, it was only on
The Solemnity of the Assumption
November 1, 1950 that Pope Pius XII, declared the
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Assumption as dogma of the Church: “We
August 15
pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely
revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the everAugust
Virgin Mary,
15 having
completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.”
(Exercising papal infallibility through the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus).
Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s Assumption. However, since Mary is closely
associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has
led the Church to believe in Mary’s share in his glorification. Since she was so close to
Christ on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven. Mary’s Assumption was
God’s way of finishing the job he started at Mary’s Immaculate Conception.
This feast is the most important of all Marian feasts because it signifies the passing of the
Blessed Virgin Mary into eternal life and therefore it is celebrated as a holy day of
obligation. In the United States, it is celebrated on August 15th, unless it falls on a Saturday
or Monday, when the obligation is abrogated (temporarily waived).
“In contemplating the Virgin Mary we are granted another grace: the ability to see our
own life too in depth. Yes, because our own daily existence, with its problems and hopes,
receives light from the Mother of God, from her spiritual journey, from her destiny of
glory: a journey and a destination that can and must become, in a certain way, our own
journey and our own destination.”
Homily of His Holiness Benedict XVI – Solemnity of the Assumption
(St Thomas of Villanova Parish, Castel Gandolfo, August 15, 2011)