Vigil Mass: August 14, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.
Holy Day Mass: August 15, 2023, at 6:45 am, 9:00 am, and 6:00 p.m.
History of Assumption of Mary
The holy day is celebrated annually on the 15th of August.
The Feast of the Assumption of Mary is a very important day in the Catholic religion. It is the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin, the mother of Jesus Christ.
This feast commemorates two events: the departure of Mary from this life and the assumption of her body into heaven.
The Church’s official doctrine of the Assumption says that at the end of her earthly life, Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.
Some mistakenly believe Mary “ascended” into heaven, which is incorrect. It was Jesus Christ who ascended into heaven by His own power. But Mary was assumed or taken up into heaven by God.
Pope Pius Xll, in 1950 defined that Mary “after the completion of her earthly life was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven.” Her body wasn’t allowed to corrupt nor was it allowed to remain in a tomb.
In the early Christian centuries relics of saints and those who gave their lives for the faith were jealously guarded and highly prized. While many cities claim the mortal remains of saints, both famous and little-known, there are no records of Mary’s bodily remains being venerated anywhere.