Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Dear Epiphany Family,

Happy Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary! It is not often that we are able to celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on a Sunday. It is one of the Church’s holy days of obligation (or “opportunity” as I like to remind people) here in the United States and it is often sad to see that significantly fewer people attend holy days of obligation in comparison to Sundays. What a gift the Church gives us to be able to celebrate the wonders of God that help orient our lives to the hope we have because of our faith in Jesus Christ! The Assumption gives us hope as Mary’s singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection also points us to the resurrection of the body of other Christians (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church #966). True hope points us toward eternity.

I found great hope in the blessing of having Totus Tuus in our parish the first week of August. I had never experienced this beautiful youth program before but had heard many good things well before I ever came to Epiphany. The beautiful witness, enthusiasm, and love for Jesus and His Church of the missionaries was so powerful and encouraging. Our children and youth were so drawn by their witness and joy. It was so hopeful and encouraging to see our kids’ hunger and desire for the beauty, truth, and goodness found in Jesus and the Church. We can be proud of our young people and their response, which gives us all a model to follow in their openness to letting Jesus more fully in their lives. Our hope is in Christ, and we can encourage one another by our daily “yes” to Him.

In Christ,
Father Eric