Celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | August 15, 2025

By Allison Mosier

08/07/2025

Each year on August 15, Catholics around the world celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a powerful feast that recognizes Mary’s entrance, body and soul, into heavenly glory. This Sacred Tradition reminds us of our own destiny as followers of Christ and offers hope in the promise of eternal life.

In 2025, the Assumption falls on a Friday and is a Holy Day of Obligation. All Catholics are called to attend Mass to honor Our Lady and reflect on the mystery of her Assumption. Please check your local parish bulletin for Mass times.

This feast is particularly meaningful during the Holy Year, declared by the Holy Father as a time of grace, renewal and pilgrimage. The church invites us to deepen our faith and seek God's mercy through the spiritual gifts available during this time, especially the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence.

How to celebrate the Assumption during the Holy Year:

Attend Mass on this Holy Day of Obligation, offering your heart in thanksgiving for Mary's faithful "yes" and her role in salvation history.
Make a pilgrimage to one of our diocesan-designated pilgrimage sites: St. Leo Magnus in Ridgway or St. Peter Cathedral in Erie. If you will be traveling or live outside the Diocese of Erie, you can find additional designated sites across the country at www.usccb.org/jubilee2025/pilgrimage-sites-us.
Go to confession and receive Holy Communion within a few days of your visit or prayer, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Pray the Rosary or another Marian devotion, contemplating Mary’s life and her example of humility, obedience and trust.
Offer acts of charity, such as visiting the sick or helping the poor, as part of living out your faith during this year of mercy and renewal.

The Solemnity of the Assumption is not only about Mary, it is also about what God desires for all of us. Her Assumption into heaven shows us what it looks like to live a life fully open to grace. As we celebrate this great feast during the Holy Year, may we, too, be inspired to live as people of hope, courage and joy.

Let Mary’s "yes" become our own.