Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This Saturday, August 15th, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “This significant feast day recalls the spiritual and physical departure of the mother of Jesus Christ. the second person of the Holy Trinity, from the earth, when both her soul and her body were taken into the presence of God. Venerable Pope Pius XII confirmed this belief about the Virgin Mary as the perennial teaching of the Church when he defined it formally as a dogma of Catholic faith in 1950, invoking papal infallibility to proclaim, “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly joy.” His Apostolic Constitution “Munificentissimus Deus” (Most Bountiful God), which defined the dogma, contained the Pontiff's accounts of many longstanding traditions by which the Church has celebrated the Assumption throughout its history. The constitution also cited testimonies from the early Church fathers on the subject, and described the history of theological reflection on many Biblical passages which are seen as indicating that Mary was assumed into heaven following her death. Although the bodily assumption of Mary is not explicitly recorded in Scripture, Catholic tradition identifies her with the “woman clothed with the sun” who is described in the 12th chapter of the Book of Revelation. The passage calls that woman's appearance “a great sign” which “appeared in heaven,” indicating that she is the mother of the Jewish Messiah and has “the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Accordingly, Catholic iconography of the Western tradition often depicts the Virgin Mary's assumption into heaven in this manner. Eastern Christians have also traditionally held Mary's assumption into heaven as an essential component of their faith. Pius XII cited several early Byzantine liturgical texts, as well as the eighth-century Arab Christian theologian St. John of Damascus, in his own authoritative definition of her assumption. “It was fitting,” St. John of Damascus wrote in a sermon on the assumption, “that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death,” and “that she, who had carried the creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles.” In Eastern Christian tradition, the same feast is celebrated on the same calendar date, although typically known as the Dormition (falling asleep) of Mary. Eastern Catholic celebration of the Dormition is preceded by a two-week period of fasting which is similar to Lent.” Due to the fact that this Holy Day falls on a Saturday, and the obligation to attend any Masses has been abrogated due to the Covid19 situation, we will only be offering the 8:00 am Mass for this Solemnity on this day. The Latin Mass will also be offered and will be live-streamed on our youtube channel.
—Fr. Epperson
Announcements
RCIA Do you want to become Catholic? Or are you Catholic but not yet Confirmed? Or do you just desire to learn more about the Catholic faith? If so, those who are 18 years or older, RCIA is the program for you. The new RCIA class will begin Sunday, September 13. Click here to obtain a general information sheet, a class schedule, and an application. You may return the completed application to the parish office before classes begin or bring it with you to the first class. We look forward to seeing you on September 13!
To Tree or not to Tree? You may have noticed that our landscape has changed a little! Our insurance company had requested that we remove all the large trees from the grotto area (Cedar & Redwoods); thus, you may have noticed that the cedar tree is now gone. Not really wanting to completely do away with the redwood trees after two experts attested to their good health, I asked if we could do an extensive pruning instead. This satisfied them for the time being. Unfortunately, we need trees now more than ever with our outdoor Mass situation! We are trying to mitigate the effect of the blazing sun, by finding some canopies, etc. to erect by the grotto. Your patience is greatly appreciated!
Confessions - Saturday 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. by Jesus statue - white lattice enclosures OR during office hours, by appointment call 542-6984.
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