August 15

Dormition literally means “falling asleep.” The Dormition of the Theotokos commemorates Mary’s falling asleep in our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Father Thomas Hopko writes in The Orthodox Faith, Volume II, Worship: “The Orthodox Church teaches that Mary is without personal sins. In the Gospel of the feast, however, in the liturgical services and in the Dormition icon, the Church proclaims as well that Mary truly needed to be saved by Christ as all human persons are saved from the trials, sufferings and death of this world; and that having truly died, she was raised up by her Son as the Mother of Life and participates already in the eternal life of paradise which is prepared and promised to all who ‘hear the word of God and keep it.’ (Luke 11:27-28)”