Today in the year 45 A. D., according to tradition,* the Blessed Virgin Mary was rapt to Heaven, Body and Soul, from Her home in Jerusalem.  Unlike Elijah and Enoch who were taken to special place and who will return to die at the hands of the followers of the Antichrist, She followed the Lord Jesus Christ, body and soul to share forever His Glory in the Empyrean Heaven. There enthroned, so that as Mother and Queen She might intercede for all who believe in His Name and seek Him.

The above image is a photo of Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin, which is found in the Church of the Carmelites at Venice, Italy. It shows the Apostles gathered around Her tomb, thinking Her dead and there to mourn her passing, being utterly surprised and amazed when the Lord takes Her to Heaven.  As She followed the Lord Jesus on Earth faithfully in every step of Her life, so at the end of Her earthly life, God granted Her to follow Him in this most extraordinary way.

The Icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani participated in this solemn celebration in 1950:

* Our Lord was born on Dec. 25, 2 B. C., and tradition holds that Our Lady was 16 years old at the time of His birth and that She passed from this life in the 63rd year of Her age, or 45 A. D..