The Feast of Assumption of Mary is an ancient feast that tells us not only about the honor that Christ accorded His mother, but about our ultimate end, in the resurrection of the body.
Also known as the Dormition among Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, Dormition literally means “the falling asleep.” It is the original name for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, continue to use it today.
Mary wasn’t assumed into Heaven because she was somehow more than human; her Assumption is actually a sign of what it means to be truly human–a condition that is possible only through the grace that comes through our faith in Christ.
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Date: August 15.
Readings: Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16; 1 Corinthians 15:20-27;
Luke 1:39-56
Prayers: The Hail Mary
Other Names for the Feast: The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
The Assumption of Mary Into Heaven; The Dormition of the Theotokos;
The Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary