The Assumption of Mary
Questions
When was the Assumption defined as dogma, and by whom?
In the year 1950, Pope Pius XII defined Mary's Assumption into
Heaven as a dogma of Roman Catholicism: "the Immaculate
Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the
course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."
What was the title of the document that was the earliest
reference to the belief?
The Assumption of Mary was first written about in two books from
the third and fourth centuries, the Liber Requiei Mariae ("Book
of Mary's Repose"), and the "Six Books Dormition Apocryphon".
What do some Christians believe Mary’s assumption
signifies for them?
Assumption Day marks the belief that when Mary, the mother
of Jesus Christ, died, her body was "assumed" into heaven, instead
of going through the natural process of physical decay upon death
on earth. The belief about Mary’s acceptance into the glory of
Heaven is seen by some Christians as the symbol of the
promise made by Jesus to all enduring Christians that
they too will be received into paradise.
Name the four Christian denominations that have strong
beliefs about the Assumption of Mary
The Catholic Church.
The Eastern Orthodox Churches
The Oriental Orthodoxy, Church of the East, and
Some Lutheran and Anglo-Catholic Churches
What does a Holy Day of Obligation mean?
In the Catholic Church, holy days of obligation are days on which
the faithful are expected to attend Mass, and take rest
from work and recreation, according to the Third Commandment.
Why do you think there would be no obligation to
feast on a Saturday or Monday? (You may like to research this one!)
Christmas and Easter (which always falls on Sunday) are the
highest-ranking holy days.
The Immaculate Conception is the feast for the
United States and is also considered as a very holy day.
However, if any of the other holy days falls on a Saturday
or Monday, they are not considered holy days of obligation,
because they're back-to-back with Sunday.
Why do you think the belief is more commonly celebrated
in European countries?
Assumption Day is public holiday in many European countries
such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy,
Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.
Christianity is the largest religion in Europe. As of 2010,
Roman Catholics were the largest Christian group in Europe,
accounting for more than 48% of European Christians.
The second-largest Christian group in Europe were the
Orthodox, who made up 32% of European Christians.
Name the four symbols of the Assumption of Mary.
Blue is the color most often associated with the Virgin
Mary. It symbolizes truth and clarity, and it is the color
of the sky, which symbolizes heaven. The lily, which is a
symbol of purity and simplicity, is also associated
with the Virgin Mary. Sometimes a Gold crown is
used as a symbol and the letters “B”, “V” and “M”
which means Blessed Virgin Mary are also used.
