Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Each August 15th the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dogma of the Assumption teaches that at the end of her life, Mary, the mother of Christ, was taken both body and soul into heaven. Our parish Mass schedule for the solemnity is as follows:

Monday, August 14, 2023 - Vigil Masses of the Solemnity of the Assumption:

4:00PM - St. Titus. Aliquippa
6:00PM - St. Frances Cabrini, Center Twp.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023 - Masses of the Solemnity of the Assumption:

7:00AM - St. Titus, Aliquippa
8:30AM - Our Lady of Fatima, Hopewell Twp.
12:10PM - St. Frances Cabrini, Center Twp.
6:30PM - St. John the Baptist, Monaca

This is a holy day of obligation. This solemn day is one that draws our attention to beliefs held by Christians since the days of the Early Church. Pope Pius XII, who declared this ancient teaching of the Assumption as an infallible dogma, stated:

“It is to be hoped that all the faithful will be stirred up to a stronger piety toward their heavenly Mother, and that the souls of all those who glory in the Christian name may be moved by the desire of sharing in the unity of Jesus Christ’s Mystical Body and of increasing their love for her who shows her motherly heart to all the members of this august body. And so we may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father’s will and to bringing good to others. Thus, while the illusory teachings of materialism and the corruption of morals that follows from these teachings threaten to extinguish the light of virtue and to ruin the lives of men by exciting discord among them, in this magnificent way all may see clearly to what a lofty goal our bodies and souls are destined. Finally, it is our hope that belief in Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven will make our belief in our own resurrection stronger and render it more effective.”