Dogma

The dogma that, at the end of her earthly life, the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken body and soul into heavenly glory. Defined solemnly by Pope Pius XII in 1950, the Assumption is understood as a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection promised to the faithful.

A teaching concerning faith or morals proposed by the Church in fulfillment of her teaching office. Catholic doctrines vary in authority and in the assent they require; not every doctrine is a dogma. Authentic doctrine is rooted in divine Revelation and interpreted within the living Tradition of the Church by the Magisterium.

The dogma that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first instant of her conception, was preserved by a singular grace of God from all stain of original sin in view of the merits of Jesus Christ. It concerns Mary’s conception, not the virginal conception of Jesus.