Asset ID: 92837748 / Photos.com / Assumption of the Virgin painting by Lefasse

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven , informally known as The Assumption , is an event which according to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodoxy , Oriental Orthodoxy , and parts of Anglicanism , was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches as dogma that the Virgin Mary "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." This doctrine was dogmatically and infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus . This belief is known as the Dormition of the Theotokos by the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches. In the churches which observe it, the Assumption is a major feast day , commonly celebrated on August 15. In many countries it is a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation .
In his August 15, 2004, homily given at Lourdes , Pope John Paul II quoted John 14:3 as one of the scriptural bases for understanding the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. In this verse, Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper , "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also." According to Catholic theology, Mary is the pledge of the fulfilment of Christ's promise.
The feast of the Assumption on August 15 is a public holiday in many countries, including Austria, Belgium, Chile, Ecuador, France, Greece, Lebanon, Italy, Malta, Mauritius, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, and Spain . In Eastern Orthodox churches following the Julian Calendar , the feast day of Assumption of Mary falls on August 28, and is a public holiday in the Republic of Macedonia.
The capital city of Paraguay is named Asunción in honour of the Assumption of Mary. It was founded on August 15, 1537, by Juan de Salazar y Espinoza . In the Republic of Malta , the feast is widely celebrated with numerous street processions and firework displays.

<div id="index_ignore">Description above from the Wikipedia article Assumption of Mary, licensed under CC-BY-SA full list of contributors here. This page is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic.</div>