08/27/2026
Today, the 28th of August, we joyfully celebrate the Dormition (“falling asleep”) of the Mother of God.
When the time came for Her repose, the Apostles (besides Thomas) who were preaching throughout the world were miraculously gathered in Jerusalem to be with Her. After Her passing they laid her body in a tomb near the Garden of Gethsemane. When the Apostle Thomas arrived three days later with the desire to see her body, the tomb was found to be empty, confirming her bodily assumption.
The Church understands this as Her being taken up into heaven, body and soul, to share in the glory of Her Son. This feast is not simply about death, but about the victory of life in Christ, showing us the destiny that awaits all who are united to Him.
In this mystery, we see the fulfillment of God’s promise that death has been overcome and that those who are faithful will not remain in the grave. The Dormition is therefore both a comfort and a path: a comfort because we are reminded that Christ has prepared eternal life for us, and a path because we are led to follow the Theotokos in her purity, humility, and unwavering obedience to God.
The Dormition reminds us that the Theotokos continues to intercede for us as our loving Mother, drawing us closer to her Son, the source of life and resurrection ☦️🙏
Troparion, tone 1: In giving birth, you preserved your virginity, and in falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos. You passed into life as the Mother of Life, and by your prayers, you deliver our souls from death
