Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (August 15th): The feast commemorates the death of the Virgin Mary and the jointof herand soul in to heaven ,which us a foretaste of our own bodily resurrection at the end of time. It is probably one of the most important of all the Marian Feasts and a day of Holy obligation for all Catholics. The feast has been celebrated for centuries bythe middle of the 5th century a feast called» Commemoration ofof God»was celebrated on the 15th of August but it was only in 1950 that Pope Pius XII ruled it as an official dogma of the Catholic Church .Through her Immaculate conception and fullness of grace Maryentitled to immunity of corruption of the body just like Jesus her Son. The corruption of the grave is a punishment for sin Gen.3.19 which Mary unlike us was totally void of. According to tradition Jesus took her body and soul up to heaven where he had a place prepared for her . Our Lady is now there among the angels and the saints praising God and interceding with love on our behalf. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the 4th mystery of the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
St. Helena (August 18th): Helena was a native ofshe was born in Drepanum in AD 255. Mother of the first Christian emperor Constantine she is also the patron saint of divorced women ,converts and archaeologists. At the age of 20 Helena metfell in love with the Roman general Chlorus and despite her humble position they were soon married and she bore him a son called Constantine. However when he husband was named Caesar in 292 he divorced her and made a more politically advantageous match with Theodorathe step- daughter of Maximian. completely devoted her time to her son over whom she exercised ainfluence. At the age of sixty she converted to Christianity and along with, worked ardently to promote the faith throughout the empire stronglythe imperial edict which proclaimedtolerance for all Christians. As an elderly woman she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land ,where near Mount Calvary she is popularly believed to have discovered the true Crucifixion Cross of Jesus along with some original nails .According to tradition she was responsible for the construction of the » Church of the Nativity» and the» Church ofMt Olives» . Helena not only built churches throughout Palestine but befriendedprisoners and the poor spreading the «Good News» of the Gospel. Helena died in the Holy Land ,most probably in NicomediaAD 330 ,there is a shrine dedicated to her in St Peters Basilica in Rome.
St. Pope Pius X (August 21st): Pope Pius X was born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto in June 1835 in Riese in the Kingdom of Lombardy. One of ten children he came from a humble background and was the son of a village postman. Educated at the seminary of Padua he received distinctions in theology philosophy and classics. In 1858 he was ordained a priest and becamein Tombolo. Sarto gradually rose through the ranks ,in 1884 he was appointed Bishop of Treviso by Pope Leo III and after Leos deathPope himself.A strict follower of Augustinian rule,Sarto is known for fiercely opposing modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine and promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox theology. His most important reform was to order the codification of the first code of canon law which collected the laws of the Church in to one volume for the first time. He was also considered a pastoral Pope in the sense of encouraging personal piety ,holiness and a daily lifestyle reflecting true Christian values.Pius was particularly devoted toMother Mary and the Blessed Sacrament his famous Motto was «to restore all things in Christ» which he believed was possible through the intercession of the Virgin Mary.1914aged 79 he suffered a heart attack and died and was buried in a unadorned tomb in the crypt below St Peters Basilica in Rome.
