Solemnity of Mary's Assumption

August 15

– Compiled under the direction of Father Johann Roten, S.M.

This index of material included in the All About Mary website, brings together resources that pertain to this feast. Additional resources may also be available by using the provided search tools.

Mary's Life

Describe the scriptural support for the dogma of Mary's Assumption.
Like the dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception, the dogma of the Assumption is not explicitly stated in the Bible. The teaching that 'at the end of her earthly course, Mary was assumed into heavenly glory, body and soul' was dogmatically defined by Pius XII in 1950 in Munificentissimus Deus.
See: Assumption of Mary: Scriptural Support

What does scripture tell us about Mary's life?
See: Scripture on the Life of Mary

What about Mary's death?
See: Death of Mary

What do we know about Mary's life from apocryphal sources?
There are a number of ancient texts not in the canon of Sacred Scripture which claim to present details about the life of Mary. The Protoevangelium Jacobi (ca. 150)...
See: Apocryphal Writings on Life of Mary, Bibliography 

Magisterial Documents

Mary and the Church: Assumption (eschatological image)
A list of quotations on the Assumption from post-Vatican II magisterial documents such as this from Lumen Gentium, Chapter 8: "in the Blessed Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle (cf. Eph 5:27)" (LG, 65)
See: Magisterial Documents: Mary and the Church

What are the Marian dogmas?
There are four Marian dogmas.
See: Dogmas, Marian

Liturgy

Development of the Liturgical Celebration of the Assumption
It is often stated: As the Church prays, so she believes. The great prayer of the Liturgy aided the development of the doctrine of the Assumption.
See: Assumption: History of Liturgy

A Variety of Customs Associated with the Assumption
A variety of local, regional and national customs are associated with the Feast of the Assumption on and around August 15
See: Assumption Customs

Marian Feasts Past and Present
The following feature points to the evolution of Marian feasts in the recent past. It shows the feasts in vigor before the liturgical reform of 1969, the changes made in 1969, and the further developments of 1986.
See: Liturgical History of Marian Feasts

Does the liturgy give us any hints about Mary's life?
Several events concerning Mary's life are commemorated during the yearly liturgical cycles of the Catholic, Orthodox and other Christian Churches.
See: Liturgy, Life of Mary in the

Meditations

Historical Background: Belief in Mary's Assumption
Introduction: Belief that Mary has been taken up and is now in heaven with both her body and her soul has been part of the teaching of the Catholic Church since the earliest centuries of Christianity.
See: Assumption: History of Doctrine

Mother of the New World
The meaning of the Assumption is that of a culmination and a new beginning. With the Assumption, the promises of the Lord were fulfilled for Mary, and as always, beyond all expectation.… Rev. Johann G. Roten, SM
See: Mother of the New World

A Reflection on the Feast of the Assumption
The following contribution on the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a contemplation on a fifteenth-century Greek Orthodox icon painted by iconographer Andreas Ritzos …. by Virginia Kimball
See: Dormition: Meditation of Icon

Prayerful Reflections on the Assumption
St. Alphonsus de Liguori is one among the saints who writes that Mary died for sheer longing and love of the Savior. Below is a quotation from his seventh discourse, "The Assumption of Mary"
See: Assumption: Reflections

Devotions

Mary's Flowers During the Middle Ages
Includes a section on the custom of bringing herbs for a blessing on the Assumption.
See: May Flowers

How do religious names of flowers originate?
Includes Assumption lily.
See: Flowers and Religious Names, Origins of

Explain the 'Marian Year' celebrations.
There was a Marian Year in 1950. It coincided with the proclamation of the Dogma of Mary's Assumption by Pope Pius XII.
See: Marian Years

Why do we call Mary Queen?
Assumption and Coronation must be sharply distinguished.
See: Queen, Mary as

Prayer

The Rosary in Image and Text Meditations Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Includes the Glorious Mysteries and therefore the Assumption
See: Rosary: Mystery Reflections

Poetry

Assumption
The following poems celebrate the mystery of Our Lady's Assumption. The reader will also find here poetry which explores the relationship between the season of summer and the Blessed Virgin's role in salvation history.
See: Assumption Poetry

Art

What are the fifteen symbols of the Immaculata represented on the famous tapestry of Our Lady in Reims, France?
The famous tapestry of Our Lady in the Reims Cathedral comprises fifteen tableaux relating the life of Mary.
See: Reims Tapestry, Symbols on

What is the meaning of the crescent moon that Mary is sometimes pictured standing upon?
Includes: The crescent appears under Mary's feet in paintings of the Assumption (Meister of the Luzien-Legende, 1485) and signifies her glory and victory over time and space.
See: Crescent Moon: Meaning

Bibliography

Bibliography of Articles in Marian Studies
1950 to present; Includes work on the Assumption
See: Marian Studies Bibliography

Video

Marian Theology Tape 2 (Lecture by Anthony Tambasco), 100 min, 1990.
Contact Marian Library.

Image Shown: The Assumption of the Virgin, Peter Paul Rubens (157-1640)