Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Holy Day of Obligation on Thursday, August 15
On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which the Church celebrates every year on August 15. Simply put, the dogma of the Assumption states that at the end of her life, the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken, body and soul, into Heaven.
The Solemnity of the Assumption reminds us of the unique role that Mary served in the process of our salvation.
Although she was without sin, we have the possibility of receiving God’s forgiveness for our sins through Christ. Her entry into Heaven prefigures our own hope of experiencing the same eternal life.