The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Their story

On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII solemnly declared what Christians had believed for many centuries: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven. The Bible does not describe the end of Mary's life, but the belief is very ancient. Christians in the East celebrated the Dormition, or falling asleep, of Mary from at least the sixth century, and the feast spread to Rome by the seventh century. The Church has always understood that Mary, who was preserved from sin and who gave the Son of God His human body, would not be left to the decay of the grave. Because she shared so closely in her Son's life, she shares fully in His Resurrection. The Assumption is a feast of hope. What God has done for Mary He promises to all who belong to Christ. One day, at the end of time, our bodies too will be raised and glorified. Mary goes before us as a sign of what awaits the whole Church. The readings for the feast include the vision of a woman clothed with the sun from the Book of Revelation, and Mary's Magnificat: "The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name." In the United States the Assumption is a holy day of obligation.