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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq14.html
What does
scripture tell us about Mary's life?
A frequently
asked question:
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/faq/faq02.html
What about
Mary's death?
A frequently
asked question:
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/faq/faq24.html
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
(First Gospel of James) (ca. 150)...
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/faq/faq05.html
Encyclical
MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS by Pope Pius XII
Defining "ex
cathedra" (from the chair of Peter) the dogma of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P12MUNIF.HTM
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)"
65
www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/documents/docs4-5.html
What are the
Marian dogmas?
There are four
Marian dogmas:
1) Divine Motherhood - Council of Ephesus 431
2) Mary's Virginity
a) Virginal Conception through the Spirit -
Baptismal symbols since 3rd century.
b) Perpetual Virginity (virginal birth and
no other children) - Baptismal symbols since 4th
century (first
in eastern church)
3) Immaculate Conception (Mary's freedom from
original sin) - Pius IX, 1854
4) Mary's Assumption (body and soul) into heaven -
Pius XII, 1950
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq186
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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/assmp02.html
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 15th
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/assmp03.html
Which are the
Marian feast days?
There are many
Marian feast days celebrated in the Catholic Church,
but the principal ones are the Solemnity of Mary,
the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, the
Annunciation, the Assumption and the Immaculate
Conception ...
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/faq/faq04.html
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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/dogmas.html
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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/faq/faq03.html
An Overview
Page
The following
overview page gives direct links to assist in varied
ways to contemplate Mary’s assumption into heaven.
At the end of the links is a select bibliography.
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/assumption.html
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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/assmp01.html
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
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/MotherofNewWorld.html
A Reflection
on the Feast of the Assumption
The following
contribution to Mary Page on the Dormition of the
Blessed Virgin Mary is a contemplation on a 15th
century Greek Orthodox icon painted by iconographer
Andreas Ritzos … by Virginia Kimball
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/kimball.html
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"
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/assmp05.html
Mary's Flowers
During the Middle Ages
Includes a
section on the custom of bringing herbs for a
blessing on the Assumption.
www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/flowers.html
How do
religious names of flowers originate?
Includes
Assumption lily.
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq209.html
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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq33.html
Why do we call
Mary Queen?
Assumption and
Coronation must be sharply distinguished.
(See more under
Queenship memorial)
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq73.html
The Rosary in
Image and Text Meditations Based on the Catechism of
the Catholic Church
Includes the
Glorious Mysteries and therefore the Assumption
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/rosmed.html
www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/glorious.html
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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/poetry/assumpp.html
New Marian
Poetry
Includes:
Assumpta est Maria en Coelum
www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/poetry/ordinary2001.html
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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq204.html
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.
www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq244.html
Bibliography
(only of) Articles in Marian Studies
1950 --
Present: Summary List In May 1999, the Mariological
Society of America celebrated its fiftieth year as
an academic theological society. For each of the
fifty years the society published, the papers
presented … include work on the Assumption
www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/msarticles.html
Marian
Theology Tape 2 (Lecture by Anthony Tambasco), 100
min, 1990.