Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On August 15th Catholics around the world mark the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, commemorating the end of her earthly life and assumption into Heaven. But while the feast day is a relatively new one, the history of the holiday - and the mystery behind it - has its roots in the earliest centuries of Christian belief.  According to St. John of Damascus, Roman Emperor Marcian requested the body of Mary. St. Juvenal replied, “that Mary died in the presence of all the apostles, but that the tomb upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty.”