08/15/2026
Today we commemorate the Dormition of the Theotokos, her falling asleep. This follows two weeks of services that include hymns, psalms, and prayers all aimed at invoking her aid and expressing our devotion and trust in her power to intercede to Christ on our behalf. As Orthodox Christians, we are given this time to reflect on and find solace in her compassion. It is a celebration of the Theotokos’s role in salvation’s history and her continued intercession for the faithful.
According to tradition, all the apostles, except Thomas, were miraculously transported to be present at her bedside during her falling asleep. When Thomas arrived three days later, he witnessed her tomb empty, affirming her bodily assumption. Imagine the Apostles’ sorrow, recognizing the presence she had in their lives, paralleled with their joy at knowing she now sat with her Son in God’s Kingdom.
For Christians, the Gospel gives us hope in our most difficult moments. But what if you lived in a place where no one knew Christ? What if His history, if it was shared at all, was depicted as just a mythical story? What if you never had the opportunity to know God?
The Mission Center exists to share the Gospel – and everything that entails – to places others may have never heard it before. We are here to help you bring the love of Christ to the rest of the world, because Orthodoxy teaches us we all have a responsibility to share Christ’s message.
You can help by praying for our missionaries abroad, by volunteering as a Parish Ambassador, or by donating to ensure we can keep building the Church to the ends of the earth.
Click our video to see images from the work we do around the world.
