Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

exact to the day, but only to the year. Thus, the Virgin Mary died about fifteen years after Christ's Ascension 

to Heaven. 

    The visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich confirm this length of 15 years in several ways. First, she 

tells us:  After Our Lord's Ascension Mary lived for three years on Mount Sion, for three years in Bethany, 

and for nine years in Ephesus . 

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 The total number of years was then 15, in agreement with Saint Bridget. 

    Second, Blessed Anne Catherine tells us that, when Jesus was speaking about his death shortly before the 

Passover, the disciples asked Jesus whether He would take His Blessed Mother with Him. Jesus answered that 

the Virgin Mary would remain with them for a number of years before her own death. Blessed Anne Catherine 

states,  He mentioned the number, and in it there was a five. I think He named fifteen years . 

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 And soon 

after she again describes Jesus speaking about the death of His Holy Mother:   that with Him she would die 

His bitter death, and still would have to survive Him fifteen years. 

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    Third, Blessed Anne Catherine was once asked how old the Virgin Mary was when she died. She then 

immediately received a vision from God of the number 64 (written in Roman numerals). As was the case with 

her vision revealing the age of Christ at His death, this vision also should be interpreted to mean the entire 

length of Mary's life on earth, from conception to death. The Immaculate Conception occurred in fall of 31 

B.C.

, and so, counting forward 64 years, we arrive again at 

A.D.

 34  as the year of the Virgin Mary's death. 

(There is no year zero between 1 

B.C.

 and 

A.D.

 1, and so counting from 31 

B.C.

 to 

A.D.

 34 gives us 64 years, 

not 65.) Since Christ died in 

A.D.

 19, and the Virgin Mary died in 

A.D.

 34, there were 15 years from Christ's 

death to Mary's death. 

    Fourth, Blessed Anne Catherine received a vision that further confirms the year of the Virgin Mary's 

Dormition. She saw the number 48, revealing the number of years from Christ's Birth to the Virgin Mary's 

death.  It means that the year 48 after Christ's Birth is the year of the Blessed Virgin's death. 

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 So, counting 

forward 48 years from 15 

B.C.

 brings us once more to 

A.D.

 34. 

    These numbers revealed to Blessed Anne Catherine can be checked against the other lengths of time in this 

chronology. For example, since the Virgin Mary was about 64 years old (counting from conception), at her 

death, and 48 years had passed since the year of the Holy Conception and Birth of Christ, then the Virgin 

Mary must have completed her 16th year of life since conception in the year of Christ's Birth (64   48 = 16). 

This result agrees with the conclusion of chapter 8 of this book, that the Virgin Mary completed 16 years of age 

from conception in the year of Christ's Birth. Also, if the Virgin Mary died 15 years after the Crucifixion, 

Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus, then the length of Christ's life from the year of His Holy Conception 

and Birth (48 years before Mary's death) to the year of the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension would be 

33 years (48   15 = 33). Again, this agrees with the conclusions of previous chapters of this book. 

The Hour of the Dormition 

     The Blessed Virgin died after the ninth hour, at the same time as Our Lord. 

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    The ninth hour is about 3 p.m. (see Chapter 2). The Virgin Mary died at the same time of day as Jesus 

Christ died, because her death was a part of her complete and unerring imitation of the life of her Divine Son 

Jesus. According to Blessed Anne Catherine, the Virgin died after receiving Holy Communion, at a Mass said 

by the Apostle Saint Peter, with most of the other Apostles in attendance.

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The Month and Day of the Dormition 

     Mary died in the year 48 after the Birth of Christ, thirteen years and two months after Christ's Ascension. 

This was shown me in numbers, not in writing. First, I saw IV [4], and then VIII [8], which denoted the year 

48; lastly, I saw XIII [13], and two full months. 

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     It means that the year 48 after Christ's Birth is the year of the Blessed Virgin's death. Then I see X [10] and 

III [3] and then two full moons as they are shown on the calendar, that means that the Blessed Virgin died 

thirteen years and two months after Christ's Ascension into Heaven. 

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     After Christ's Ascension, she lived fourteen years and two months. 

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