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Assumption of Mary


Next Saturday (August 15) is a holy day for Catholics, being the anniversary of the Assumption of Mary. This is a day of holy obligation, so I expect to see all Catholics at Church next Saturday!

A note on the icon
The feast was originally celebrated in the East, where it is known as the Feast of the Dormition, a word which means "the falling asleep." The earliest printed reference to the belief that Mary's body was assumed into Heaven dates from the fourth century, in a document entitled "The Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God."

The picture is called "The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos" (Theotokos being the Greek title of Mary, Mother of God) -- Central Russian icon, early 1800's.


Related Link: August 15 - Assumption of Our Lady

Related Link: wikipedia on the assumption