Feast of the Assumption of Mary

On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII solemnly declared: “By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

In spite of the 1950 pronouncement, the Feast of the Assumption goes back to apostolic times. It was originally celebrated in the East, in the areas around Turkey and Greece, where it is known as the Feast of the Dormition, a word which means "the falling asleep."

Like the doctrine of the Trinity, the Assumption is not explicitly mentioned in Scripture. The Roman Catholic Church declared this dogma based on three things: the historic teaching of the Church down the centuries, the scholastic arguments in favor of it, and its interpretations of biblical sources.

One of those biblical sources is the book of Revelation, where the author John writes about his heavenly vision: "Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple." (Rev. 11:19) Immediately after seeing the Ark of the Covenant in heaven, John continues: "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child." (Rev. 12:1–2) The woman is Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, revealed by God to John.

The Ark of the Covenant was the chest that held the two stone tablets of law which Moses brought down from Mount Sinai and was also “a sanctuary” for God, that he “may dwell in their midst.” (Ex. 25:8). Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant: as the mother of Jesus, she provided a place for God to dwell – in her womb. God honored Mary by taking her, body and soul, into Heaven.

In the U.S., there are many cities that have Assumption Day parties with music, dancing, parades and fireworks, with one of the largest festivals taking place in Cleveland, Ohio. This, however, pales in comparison to the extravagant celebrations in more than 50 countries around the world, where the Assumption is celebrated on August 15th as a public holiday. How wonderful that our Blessed Mother is remembered on her heavenly birthday!