August 15, 2010: Catholics commerorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
According to Roman Catholic doctrine and the traditions of the Catholic Church, Mary, the mother of Jesus, “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” There is no Biblical support for this belief.
Also on this day, the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos takes place. Celebrated by members of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Ortohodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, this feast commemorates the “falling asleep” or death of the Theotokos (Mary, the mother of Jesus; literally translated as God-bearer). The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Dormition not on a fixed date, but on the Sunday nearest August 15.