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Tomorrow, August 15, Roman Catholics will celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Read my guest post about the Assumption of Mary on Sister Julie’s blog, A Nun’s Life.

On the same day as the Assumption, Orthodox Christians remember the Dormition of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary – in other words, they remember Mary’s death.

Who is Mary?

Mary was the mother of Jesus. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Mary is a young virgin. The angel Gabriel came to her and told her she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit. See Matthew 1-3 or Luke 1-2 for more about Mary and the birth of Jesus.

It is a common myth that Catholics worship Mary. They do not. Rather, they honor her for her purity (many believe she never sinned), her motherhood, and her closeness to Jesus Christ. Catholics may ask Mary to pray with them or for them, as she is thought to be closer to God and may plead with those in need.

What happened at her death?

Several oral and written documents were combined into the Church History of Nicephorus Callistus in the 14th century. These documents tell the story of Mary’s death.

Though Mary lived the latter part of her life in Ephesus, it is said that she left for Jerusalem toward the end of her life. While in Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would be leaving her life behind and heading into eternal life. She then prayed that Jesus’s disciple John would be able to come to her. Shortly thereafter, all the disciples except Thomas appeared before her. She blessed them, and they sat with her at her deathbed.

On the morning she was to die (the Dormition), a light descended from Heaven and it is said that Mary could see Jesus, angels, and prophets. She bowed to her son, then fell asleep (thus passing away).

After her death, the disciples buried her in Israel, near the Garden of Gethsemane. They sat by her tomb for three days. Then on the third day, Thomas (the missing disciple) arrived. Having missed her death and burial, he asked if they would open the tomb and allow him to get one last glimpse of Mary. They complied.

When they opened the tomb, they found her burial shroud and nothing more. Her body was gone. Read more about Mary’s death at OCA.org.

Where did her body go?

According to Roman Catholic doctrine, Mary was taken up (assumed) into Heaven. Read about the Assumption of Mary on Anunslife.org.

What is the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos?

The Feast of the Dormition is a celebration and a solemn remembrance of Mary’s death. It is celebrated by Orthodox Christians. Read more about Orthodox Christians at OCA.org.

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2 Responses to “Celebrate the Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin Mary!”

  • To address this comment, I believe you’re referring to the words of Pope Pius XII in his encyclical. These are not my words, they are the words of a past Catholic leader. Religion Transcends is an unbiased site providing educational information about other religions and context for religion news, without espousing a particular religious view.

    As for the pope, I don’t think the pope meant Mary was a literal queen, as in a monarchy. But to say that Mary would be granted enough of a status in Christianity (particularly Catholicism) to where she could hold more prominence than others in Heaven would be accurate.

    A cult, by definition, is a cohesive group with a set of beliefs that are outside mainstream culture. Given that Christianity is a mainstream religion, it cannot be a cult at the same time unless the group that believed Mary to hold importance was outside the mainstream religion. As all Catholics generally adhere to this belief, believing Mary holds importance does not make one part of a cult. It makes one part of a mainstream religion.

    Thanks for reading Religion Transcends, and please, read on to learn about other religions — AND cults. We hope such reading will help you develop tolerance, if not understanding.

    –Religion Transcends

  • Mary is the Queen of heaven? that’s enough for me to say your religion is a cult.

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