Holy Name of Jesus

• Readings for the Mass during the Day
• Readings for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1 1 Chronicles 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 132:6-7, 9-10, 13-14

Reading II 1 Corinthians 15:54b-57

Alleluia Luke 11:28

Gospel Luke 11:27-28

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

• Readings for the Vigil
• Readings for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1 Revelation 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16

Reading II 1 Corinthians 15:20-27

Alleluia

Gospel Luke 1:39-56

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

• Readings for the Vigil
• Readings for the Mass during the Day

• Vigil
• Mass during the Day

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Feast date: Aug 15

Today, Catholics and many other Christians celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This significant feast day recalls the spiritual and physical departure of the mother of Jesus Christ from the earth, when both her soul and her body were taken into the presence of God.

Venerable Pope Pius XII confirmed this belief about the Virgin Mary as the perennial teaching of the Church when he defined it formally as a dogma of Catholic faith in 1950, invoking papal infallibility to proclaim, “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

His Apostolic Constitution “Munificentissimus Deus” (Most Bountiful God), which defined the dogma,

contained the Pontiff's accounts of many longstanding traditions by which the Church has celebrated the Assumption throughout its history.

The constitution also cited testimonies from the early Church fathers on the subject, and described the history of theological reflection on many Biblical passages which are seen as indicating that Mary was assumed into heaven following her death.

Although the bodily assumption of Mary is not explicitly recorded in Scripture, Catholic tradition identifies her with the “woman clothed with the sun” who is described in the 12th chapter of the Book of Revelation.

The passage calls that woman's appearance “a great sign” which “appeared in heaven,” indicating that she is the mother of the Jewish Messiah and has “the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Accordingly, Catholic iconography of the Western tradition often depicts the Virgin Mary's assumption into heaven in this manner.

Eastern Christians have also traditionally held Mary's assumption into heaven as an essential component of their faith. Pius XII cited several early Byzantine liturgical texts, as well as the eighth-century Arab Christian theologian St. John of Damascus, in his own authoritative definition of her assumption.

“It was fitting,” St. John of Damascus wrote in a sermon on the assumption, “that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death,” and “that she, who had carried the creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles.”

In Eastern Christian tradition, the same feast is celebrated on the same calendar date, although typically known as the Dormition (falling asleep) of Mary. Eastern Catholic celebration of the Dormition is preceded by a two-week period of fasting which is similar to Lent. Pius XII, in “Munificentissimus Deus,” mentioned this same fasting period as belonging to the traditional patrimony of Western Christians as well.

The feast of the Assumption is always a Holy Day of Obligation for both Roman and Eastern-rite Catholics, on which they are obliged to attend Mass or Divine Liturgy.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 15, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Today, Aug. 15, is the feast of the Assumption, a solemnity commemorating the end of the Virgin Mary’s earthly life and the assumption of her body and soul into heaven. The day also marks the anniversary of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). 

On this day in 1981, EWTN’s foundress, Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, started her television show out of a garage studio in Alabama. The broadcast launched what is now the largest global Catholic media network in the world. (Note: CNA is a service of EWTN News, an affiliate of EWTN.)

As Catholics celebrate the Assumption and EWTN commemorates 44 years of spreading the Eternal Word, we look back at what Mother Angelica said about Jesus’ mother and her assumption into heaven.

Assumption of Mary 

“This is the feast of Our Lady’s assumption, and a lot of people don’t understand that,” Mother Angelica, a Poor Clare of Perpetual Adoration, said during an Aug. 15, 2000, EWTN broadcast. “They get it all mixed up with Our Lady’s immaculate conception. And it’s different.”

The Assumption is a fairly new feast day in the Church, but the holiday has roots in the earliest centuries of Christian belief. Mother Angelica explained to her audience that “when all the apostles heard Our Lady had died, they all went where she was, except Thomas.” 

“St. Thomas, according to tradition, was always late, always late,” Mother Angelica joked. “We all have somebody like that in our family. They’re always late.” 

“So when he came, they opened up the [tomb] and she was gone… And from the very beginning of Christianity, it was always believed that she was assumed into heaven. It just makes sense.”

It makes sense, Mother Angelica said, “because she was so pure and so holy. There was no reason for her to rot away like we’re going to.”

“Our Lady could never even commit one little sin. So what does she do? She benefits by all the graces, we will benefit by the blood of Jesus — by redemption,” she said. “You say, ‘Well, why should she be so different?’ Well, because she was created by God and before time began, he had her in his mind to be the mother of his Son — the Eternal Word.”

“You can’t even think for a half a second that the mother of God could be in the hands of Satan. That would defile the temple,” she said, adding: “I mean, that’s common sense. You don’t need anything else to really realize that God’s temple had to be absolutely perfect for his sake.”

While Mary was born perfect, Mother Angelica said, “we were all born with original sin, and we have consequences for original sin, even after baptism.” We experience “jealousy, anger, and oversensitivity. We’re born with a lot of things that are not like Jesus. And so we have to overcome these things.”

But eventually, “Our Lady’s assumption is something we’re all going to have,” because “we’re all going to rise… the day will come at the end of the world when God will breathe and say: ‘Rise.’”

‘Secret of holiness’

“Our Lady had to be awesome, because she always said yes to God. That’s the secret of holiness,” Mother Angelica said. “Oh, you don’t have to be bright, you don’t have to be a genius, you don’t have to build buildings, you don’t have to do any of those things. You have to do God’s will with love and sacrifice.”

Ultimately, it “all comes down to love,” she said. “And you only do God’s will because you love. Our Lady always loved God and always did his will with perfect union.”

On the solemnity of Mary’s assumption, “we should thank God that he created such a woman,” Mother Angelica said. “There had to be somebody like her. And only from her, only from this holy, perfect woman, could the Eternal Word come.”

CNA Newsroom, Aug 14, 2025 / 18:27 pm (CNA).

EWTN’s “Crushed by the Woman” — set to air on the Aug. 15 solemnity of the Assumption at 5:30 p.m. ET — aims to answer common questions Protestants ask regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The 30-minute program features a lineup of notable Church figures who explore the beliefs Catholics hold regarding the Blessed Mother and the many misconceptions non-Catholics have about her.

The program addresses questions such as: Does devotion to Mary take away from Jesus or offend Our Lord? What does the angel Gabriel’s “Hail, full of grace” greeting mean? Is the assumption of the Blessed Virgin contrary to the Bible? Why do Catholics pray to Mary? Why do Catholics say Mary did not have other children? How is Mary our perfect mother? 

Father Dwight Longenecker, who was raised a fundamentalist and ordained an Anglican priest before converting to Catholicism, and Mark Miravalle, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and president of the International Marian Association, are joined by several other Church leaders to provide answers to these questions. 

“Quite often, our Protestant brothers and sisters will say: You believe in something called the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that she was taken up into heaven and that she was crowned as the queen of heaven,” Longenecker says in the program. “That’s nowhere in the Bible. Why do you believe these things?”

“Catholics are not Bible-only Christians. You are,” Longenecker continues. “We believe in the inspiration of the Bible, but we also believe that the Holy Spirit speaks through the Church…speaks through the lives of the saints… speaks through the teaching of the Church. Therefore, we’re not Bible-only Christians. We’re not obliged to prove our religion according to your terms.”

Miravalle points out that nowhere in Scripture does it say that Scripture is the only source of revelation. “[T]o hold that is an unscriptural position,” he says. 

Ann-Marie Altomare, director at Our Lady of Guadalupe Family Life Center in Ave Maria, Florida, provides further examples: “[W]e also know there are a lot of things about the apostles, how they were beheaded or how they died as martyrs, that are not written in Scripture.”

Addressing the question of why Catholics pray for Mary’s intercession, Longnecker says: “We need a mother to intercede, to protect us from external dangers. We need a mother to remind us of our personal dignity, that we’re all made in the image and likeness of God. One mother united Jesus and her other children, you and me, together.”

“[W]ithin the Catholic understanding, she stands for motherhood,” he adds. “She stands for fertility. She stands for children. She stands for family, and this is exactly where, in our society today, Catholics are being attacked, because we still stand up for virginity, for chastity, for family, for marriage, for children. We stand up against abortion, we stand up against the sexual immorality in society, and so, we will be attacked for that.”

“Crushed by the Woman” can also be watched online here.

ACI MENA, Aug 14, 2025 / 18:07 pm (CNA).

After the conclusion of the Catholic Jubilee of Youth in Rome, which saw a strong presence of Middle Eastern Christians including a delegation from Egypt, the city of Alexandria has launched its own Catholic Youth Jubilee, organized by the Latin Church there.

The initiative aims to include young people who were unable to travel to Rome and is being held in two phases: The first took place from Aug. 9–12 and the second from Aug. 12–15, which primarily involved the Sudanese and Eritrean communities at St. Mark House in Borg El Arab.

The jubilee is under the patronage and presence of apostolic vicar of the Latins in Egypt, Bishop Claudio Lurati, organized by his deputy Monsignor Antoine Tawfiq and Sister Chiara Latif of the Franciscan Elizabethan Sisters. It has been carried out in collaboration with the Egyptian and Sudanese-Eritrean youth committees alongside Comboni Father Deus Gratias.

Participants in the events include youth from various Egyptian governorates as well as others from African and European countries, including a delegation from Como, Italy, who came to assist in organizing the event.

The jubilee days opened with a celebratory Mass at St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Alexandria, presided over by Lurati and marked by the reception of the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Before the Mass, attendees were given a brief presentation on the life of Acutis to encourage them to follow his example of holiness and prayer, especially as he is close in age to many of them. After the Mass, participants were blessed with the relics.

In a symbolic gesture, youth returning from Rome handed over the “Great Cross” to their peers who could not travel, who then presented it to Lurati.

On the feast of St. Clare of Assisi on Aug. 11, participants visited the King Mariout area, home to one of the monasteries of the Poor Clares, the order founded and led by St. Clare in the 13th century. They met with seven sisters, prayed with them, and listened to story of St. Clare. There, Lurati explained the meaning of the jubilee and the plenary indulgence that can be obtained, and spoke about the importance of walking with God and others in joy, peace, and hope.

The jubilee program also included a penitential service, talks on the meaning of the jubilee, youth life, and the Bible as well as a presentation of the Latin Church’s achievements in Egypt and its future plans. Organizers place a special emphasis on prayer, introducing new devotions such as the “Rosary of Hope” and the “Way of Light.”

Participants from both phases of the event also gathered for a shared day, during which Tawfiq and Sister Latif shared their experiences from the Jubilee of Youth in Rome. 

The second phase concludes on Aug. 15 with a Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Alexandria, where several young people will receive the sacrament of confirmation.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 17:47 pm (CNA).

Longtime anti-euthanasia activists Rita and Mike Marker were honored Aug. 11 at the 2025 “People of Life” awards by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities during the Diocesan Pro-Life Leadership Conference in Arlington, Virginia. 

The awards recognize Catholics who have answered St. John Paul II’s call in Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life”) by dedicating themselves to promoting the dignity of the human person and taking part in pro-life activities.

The Markers established the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force — later renamed the Patients Rights Council — in the early 1980s. Rita served as the executive director of the organization and in her role wrote the 1995 book “Deadly Compassion: The Death of Ann Humphry and the Truth About Euthanasia” about the high-profile suicide of an euthanasia advocate whom Rita came to embrace as a friend. 

Mike largely took charge of the organization’s operations. Rita traveled internationally and domestically to speak out against euthanasia and assisted suicide and frequently appeared on radio and news programs. Realizing the importance of legal expertise in advocating against assisted suicide, she also obtained a law degree while raising a family and used it to analyze legislation and develop strategies to oppose assisted-suicide laws.

The Catholic couple were married for six decades and were appointed to the Vatican’s Pontifical Council on the Family by St. John Paul II. Mike died in 2021 and Rita died in 2023. 

About 100 diocesan Catholic figures and guests attended this year’s awards dinner, including Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia. Two other pro-life advocates were also honored at the event: Valerie Washington and Judy Haag. 

Washington has led the National Black Catholic Congress organization as its executive director for the past 25 years. During her time with the organization, she has shaped its programs, has nurtured partnerships that have strengthened the Church’s commitment to justice and evangelization, and has taken a prominent role in fostering a culture of life within the Black Catholic community. 

For the past 30 years, Haag has been a long-term care nurse and pro-life advocate — serving as co-chair to her local 40 Days for Life campaign, leading her parish in commemorating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and facilitating participation in the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life March for Life. She also served as chairperson of the New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (NUDCCW) Reverence for Life Committee for several years. Here she assisted in public education and advocacy on abortion and was named the NUDCCW “Woman of the Year” in 2017.

This year’s recipients join 43 other pro-life advocates who have received this award since it was established in 2007 by the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 14, 2025 / 17:27 pm (CNA).

The Vatican issued an update to its public procurement regulations to streamline steps in the Holy See’s contracting processes while maintaining integrity and transparency. 

The new general executive decree was signed on Aug. 5 by the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, Maximino Caballero Ledo, and took effect on Aug. 10. 

The decree contains the implementing regulation from Pope Francis’ 2020 apostolic letter in the form of motu proprio regarding “Norms on Transparency, Control, and Competition in the Procedures for the Award of Public Contracts of the Holy See and the Vatican City State.” The apostolic letter was later amended by the subsequent 2024 motu proprio titled “To Better Harmonize,” which updated the Holy See’s code of contracts.

Composed of eight sections and 52 articles, the decree applies the provisions of “To Better Harmonize” to outline specific rules that must be followed in the procurement process to ensure contracts are awarded fairly.

The document involves collaboration between various Vatican departments to foster greater trust among Vatican internal offices and its external contractors.

The decree reaffirms the Vatican’s mission to provide equal treatment to operators and to prevent discrimination among bidders. It also aims to promote cost effectiveness and to simplify bureaucratic steps to avoid delays.

In line with Pope Francis’ 2022 apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, Church teachings, and Church law, the regulations draw from past experiences to emphasize transparency and responsible use of resources and ethical business practices in the execution of financial decisions and transactions.

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 16:57 pm (CNA).

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is investigating reports that a local public school facilitated and funded abortion procedures for minors without informing the parents.

Staff at Centreville High School, part of the Fairfax County Public Schools district, arranged abortions for two pregnant high school girls in 2021, according to a report by Walter Curt Dispatch Investigations from earlier this month.

Youngkin said in a press release on Wednesday that he is “deeply concerned with the allegations” and is opening “a full criminal investigation into this matter immediately.”

According to the investigative report, one of the girls, who was 17 years old at the time, had an abortion after a school official brought her to the abortion facility.

The other girl, who was five months pregnant, ran from the clinic after a social worker brought her there and allegedly told her she “had no other choice.”

Virginia has a parental-notification law for abortion procedures. Virginia code requires a physician to certify that at least one parent has been notified before performing an abortion on a minor. While there are exceptions if a minor obtains a judicial bypass, investigator Walter Curt said that “no bypasses appear in either case file” that was provided to him.

The girls also alleged that the principal knew about the abortions and used school funds to pay for them.

“Reports allege school officials may have arranged and paid for abortions for multiple minors without parental notification,” read the Aug. 13 press release. “Reports also indicate that the school administration may have known this was happening, and that school funding may have been used, which could include local, state, and federal funds.”

Fairfax County Public Schools said in a statement earlier this month that it is “launching an immediate and comprehensive investigation” into the reports.

A handwritten note from an 11th-grade ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) student, translated by the investigators, said the abortion took place in November 2021, when she was 17.

“Last year I went to see social worker Carolina Diaz. She helped me with the termination of my pregnancy — that is, an abortion,” the girl wrote in a note dated Nov. 19, 2022.

The social worker, the girl said, “scheduled the appointment for me at the abortion clinic in Fairfax, paid the costs of that medical procedure, and kept everything quiet without informing my family.” 

The school addressed the claims in a statement, saying they recently learned of the allegations, though Walter Curt Dispatch Investigations said in a follow-up report that school officials “have been aware for months.”

Live Action Founder and President Lila Rose commented on the investigation in a post on social media, calling the situation “horrific.”

“Every person involved must be held accountable,” she said in a Thursday post on X.