THE DORMITION FAST (AUG 1ST - 14TH)

A Large Wooden Panel Icon in Byzantine Style of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Dated to Approximately AD 1640

Edited by Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

The Dormition Fast, observed from August 1st through 14th, holds profound significance in the Western Orthodox Tradition. This period of fasting culminates on August 15th, the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, commemorating the death, burial, and miraculous assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, into heaven. This fast is a time for Orthodox Christians to prepare spiritually, physically, and emotionally to honor the Holy Theotokos, who is venerated as an Icon of God’s great and saving grace to the world.

In the Western Orthodox tradition, the Dormition Fast involves abstaining from meat and other rich foods, similar to the Lenten discipline observed before Easter. The purpose of this fast is not merely abstinence but a means to draw closer to God through prayer, repentance, and almsgiving. It serves as a period of purification and renewal, allowing the faithful to reflect on the life and virtues of the Virgin Mary.

The Feast of the Dormition, also known as the “Assumption” in the Roman tradition, celebrates the moment when Mary was taken bodily into heaven. According to Orthodox Christian belief, after her death and burial, the Holy Spirit miraculously assumed her body to be resurrected with God. "Transitus Mariae," which is a group of writings collectively known as the "Dormition Apocrypha,” provides a vivid account of the Virgin Mary's last days. It tells how St. Thomas the Apostle, who was preaching in India, was transported by the Holy Spirit to witness the miraculous event. When St. Thomas arrived, the tomb of the Theotokos in Ephesus was opened for him, revealing that her body had been taken by a miracle. This revelation confirmed to the Holy Apostles that the Theotokos had been assumed bodily into Heaven, making her one of the great foretastes of the Eschaton, along with Enoch and Elijah.

This feast not only honors the contribution of the Virgin Mary but also reinforces the hope of resurrection and eternal life for all believers. Mary's assumption is seen as a sign of the future resurrection of the body and the ultimate victory over death that all Christians will share with Jesus Christ. It is a reminder that, through Christ, all faithful will be united with God in body and soul on the Last Day, to live forever with Him in the New Kingdom that He has created for all those who love Him! 

A Western Icon of the Dormition, Painted by Fra Angelico, Approximately AD 1424-34, Held at the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum 

The hymns and liturgical texts of the Dormition Feast are rich with theological meaning and poetic beauty. One of the most beloved hymns in the Eastern Tradition is the Troparion and Kontakion of the Dormition:

In giving birth, you preserved your virginity;

In falling asleep, you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos.

You were translated to life, O Mother of Life,

And by your prayers, you deliver our souls from death.

Neither the tomb nor death could hold the Theotokos,

Who is constant in prayer and our firm hope in her intercessions.

For being the Mother of Life, she was translated to life

By the One who dwelt in her ever-virgin womb.

This hymn expresses the deep veneration and love that Orthodox Christians have for the Theotokos, acknowledging her unique role in salvation history and her ongoing intercession for the faithful in Heaven, standing at the right hand of her Son’s throne. 

WESTERN COLLECT FOR THE DORMITION

O ALMIGHTY GOD, Who didst take to Thyself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Thy only Son, both in body and soul: Grant, we beseech Thee, that we, who celebrate her dormition, may be delivered from present evil and eternal death; and at the last, may share with her in the glory of Thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.