Church of the Assumption - Gabriels, NY

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Hence, the august Mother of God... the whole-hearted companion of the divine Redeemer who won complete victory over sin and its consequences, gained at last the supreme crown of her privileges - to be preserved immune from the corruption of of the tomb... " Pope Pius XII, from the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus (formal proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption, 1950)
 
When Pope Pius XII proclaimed in 1950 the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he authoritatively summarized and affirmed the centuries-old teaching in the Catholic Church that Mary, the Mother of God, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. It is the belief that Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the commandment to "honor your father and your mother." Jesus loves and honors His earthly mother! He crowned her life on earth by taking her into heaven, body and soul. Where Mary has gone, we are meant to follow.
 
Some argue that Pope Pius XII "added" a dogma in a wholly untraditional way. But to appreciate the dogma of the Assumption, we must see that veneration of Mary, assumed into heaven, was a long-held teaching and pious belief of Christians for many centuries before 1950. In fact, our parish, the Church of the Assumption, was established in 1912 - fully 38 years before the proclamation in 1950! This strongly suggests that belief in the Mary's assumption was well established indeed. Pius XII simply confirmed this long-held belief with the full weight of his authority as the successor of St. Peter.
 
St. John of Damascus, who died in the mid 700's, was a preeminent teacher of the faith. He was renowned for his ability to summarize the tradition of the Christian faith in the 8th century. John wrote: "It was necessary that she who had carried the Creator as a child on her breast should dwell in the tabernacles of God. It was necessary that the bride espoused by the Father should make her home in the bridal chambers of heaven. It was necessary that she, who had gazed on her crucified Son and been pierced in the heart by the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in giving him birth, should contemplate him seated with the Father. It was necessary that the Mother of God should share the possessions of her son, and be venerated by every creature as the Mother and handmaid of God."
 
We claim her patronage and continue to venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary in heaven. We continue to bear out her own prophetic words that she uttered in the Gospel: "all generations shall call me blessed" (Lk 1:48). We continue to see her as Jesus directed from the cross, "behold, your mother" (Jn 19:27). With great confidence, as brothers and sisters of Christ, we look to Mary as our mother in heaven. May she continue to pray for and guide her children, until we are all gathered at the throne of her Son in heaven!

More Information

Map:  826 State Route 86, Gabriels, NY 12939
Local wiki:  Historic Saranac Lake