The Dormition of the Mother of God

The Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God is this Saturday, one of the twelve Great Feasts of the liturgical year, arguably the most important and most beautiful of the Feasts of Our Lady.

All are invited to celebrate the feast at St. Michael’s as fully as your schedule may allow, with:

  • Great Vespers and Litya, Friday, Aug. 14, 6:15 PM
  • Festal Divine Liturgy, with blessing of flowers and herbs, Saturday, Aug. 15, 10 AM
  • Post-liturgy open house next door at the rectory (upstairs)

You’re encouraged to bring family and friends, especially those with a special love for the Mother of God and who may have never been to St. Michael’s before!

The glorious feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God is sometimes called the “Summer Pascha.” For indeed, with this feast, we celebrate our Lady’s participation in the Paschal mystery of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ—his death, resurrection, and ascension. Although not divine, Mary was conformed to this pattern of her Son: she died (this is what word “dormition” means), she was raised from the dead (as the firstfruits of the general resurrection that we all await after the Second Coming), and she was translated (that is, “assumed”) body and soul into heaven.

As Pope St. John Paul II taught in a catechesis on June 25, 1997:

“Involved in Christ’s redemptive work and associated in his saving sacrifice, Mary was able to share in his suffering and death for the sake of humanity’s Redemption … To share in Christ’s Resurrection, Mary had first to share in his death.”

In the same catechesis, John Paul notes the witness of the Fathers:

“St Modestus of Jerusalem (†634), after a lengthy discussion of ‘the most blessed dormition of the most glorious Theotokos,’ ends his eulogy by exalting the miraculous intervention of Christ who ‘raised her from the tomb,’ to take her up with him in glory (Enc. in Dormitionem Deiparae, nn. 7 and 14). 

“St John Damascene (†704) for his part asks: ‘Why is it that she who in giving birth surpassed all the limits of nature should now bend to its laws, and her immaculate body be subjected to death?’ And he answers: ‘To be clothed in immortality, it is of course necessary that the mortal part be shed, since even the master of nature did not refuse the experience of death. Indeed, he died according to the flesh and by dying destroyed death; on corruption he bestowed incorruption and made death the source of resurrection.’ (Panegyric on the Dormition of the Mother of God, n. 10)

Looking Ahead, June 7

➤ All Saints of Rus’-Ukraine

Tomorrow—the week after All Saints’ Day—is celebrated as the Feast of All Saints of Rus’-Ukraine, a joyful day for us to honor the thousands of saints that have graced the Church in Ukraine since its establishment in Kyiv over a thousand years ago, and to ask their intercession for the Ukrainian people today, both at home in the midst of the Russian invasion, and all over the world, including our own parish.

To celebrate this feast, we will be using somewhat more Ukrainian than usual. We’ll sing “Only-begotten Son,” the Cherubic Hymn, “It is Truly Right,” and “Let our mouths be filled” in Ukrainian, and Brian is graciously providing transliterations, so you can sing along even if you don’t read Cyrillic.

In addition to modern Ukrainian, the priests will also take a few litanies and exclamations in Slavonic.

 Slavonic is the liturgical language that was developed by Sts. Cyril and Methodius as a fitting vessel for translating our original Greek scriptural and liturgical texts. It still remains the official liturgical language of the UGCC, even though it’s now much more common to use modern Ukrainian. Since it’s the language used for prayer and worship by the vast majority of the saints we’ll celebrate tomorrow, it’s good and appropriate for us to use at least a little of it ourselves.

One other thing for tomorrow: the 1st and 3rd Antiphons (towards the beginning of Liturgy) will be different than usual. During the Apostles’ Fast and other Fasts of the liturgical year, we will be using what are called the “Typical Psalms” and Beatitudes. This means that at the first antiphon, we’ll sing Psalm 102 (103), a psalm about God’s mercy and love for sinful and weak humanity. And for the 3rd antiphon, we’ll sing the Beatitudes – Christ’s words from the Sermon on Mount in Matthew 5 listing the virtues and qualities that we strive to cultivate as children of the Kingdom.

➤ Thursday, Moleben to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lover of Mankind

We will offer this Moleben on Thursday evening at 6:15, the eve of the Feast of our Lord, the Lover of Mankind (i.e., Sacred Heart). If you have names of the living you would like us to pray for at this service, please email them to me, or write them on a slip of paper before the service.

➤ Summer Opportunities for You and Your Kids!

• 1. Every summer, the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat hosts the All-American Youth Conference – Всеамериканська Молодіжна Проща, in Parma, Ohio, June 11–14. Це особливо гарна можливість для україномовної молоді!

“Друзі, раді анонсувати програму прощі! На вас чекають 3 незабутні дні в колі прочан —час молитви, радості та глибокої зустрічі з Богом і один з одним.” — “Friends, we are excited to announce the pilgrimage program! You can look forward to 3 unforgettable days among fellow pilgrims — a time of prayer, joy, and a deep encounter with God and one another.”  

More details are here and (Українською мовою) on Facebook here.

• 2. The Metr. Andrey Sheptytsky Institute, in Toronto, Canada, is hosting its annual Study Days, June 19–21, on the theme “The Gift of Monasticism.” I will be there and speaking on the theme: “Revealing of Thoughts, ‘Mental Hygiene,’ and Being Vulnerable with God”. More information and registration is here.

• 3. The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma is hosting its Annual Family Liturgy & Life Camp, August 9–14, at Cedar Lake, Indiana – a week of liturgical prayer, catechesis, and recreation.

“Bring your family for a joyful week of prayer, play, and community at our Family Liturgy & Life Camp! This year’s program is built around the four ‘ships’ from Bishop Robert’s Christ God Our Hope: Discipleship, Worship, Fellowship, and Stewardship. With age‑specific morning sessions, afternoons full of recreation, and evenings gathered in prayer and fellowship, it’s the perfect blend of faith and family fun.” 

This is a great opportunity to get to know other Greek Catholic families (of various traditions, Melkite, Ukrainian, Ruthenian…). Our good friend Fr. Andrew Summerson is the chaplain. It’s possible that I may be there as well — yet to be determined. More info here and on Facebook here.