Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The meaning of the celebration

+ On this day, the Church solemnly celebrates the Paschal mystery of Christ in a special way as she recalls the unique relationship between the Virgin Mary and her Son and the truth that, at the completion of her earthly life, Mary was taken into heaven, body and soul. 

+ The Solemnity of the Assumption is the celebration of the eternal happiness and glory that all the faithful are called to share and which we believe will be ours in the Kingdom of Heaven.

+ August 15 also marks the feast of Our Lady of La Vang, the name given to an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1798 to a group of Vietnamese Catholics who had taken refuge in the rainforest of La Vang in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. Although the apparition has not been approved by the Holy See, the comfort and encouragement Our Lady provided during the apparition has become a source of great courage and consolation for Vietnamese Catholics throughout the world.

For prayer and reflection

“Glorious things are spoken of you, O Mary,

who today were exalted above the choirs of Angels

into eternal triumph with Christ.”—Entrance Antiphon for the Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption 

Spiritual bonus

August 15 also marks the feast of Our Lady of La Vang, the name given to an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1798 to a group of Vietnamese Catholics who had taken refuge in the rainforest of La Vang in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. Although the apparition has not been approved by the Holy See, the comfort and encouragement Our Lady provided during the apparition has become a source of great courage and consolation for Vietnamese Catholics throughout the world. 

Prayer

Almighty ever-living God,
who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son,
body and soul into heavenly glory,
grant, we pray,
that, always attentive to the things that are above,
we may merit to be sharers of her glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Saint profiles prepared by Fr. Silas Henderson, S.D.S.