Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

Saint Ann presented the Virgin Mary to God in the Temple should be called by a similar name, the 

Presentation of the Virgin Mary. This new celebration should be added to the liturgical calendar of the 

Church. 

    This day could also be called the Purification of Saint Ann, just as the Presentation of the Lord is also 

referred to as the Purification of the Virgin Mary. The term Purification comes from the Jewish Law, which 

requires this visit to the Temple by the mother of a new born child  when the days of her purifying are 

completed  (Lev 12:6). This day could also be called the Entrance of the Virgin Mary into the Temple, just as 

the Presentation of the Lord is also called the Entrance of the Lord into the Temple. 

    There is currently no celebration of Saint Ann's Purification in the liturgical calendar of the Church. There 

is a feast celebrated in the Church under the name of  The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary,  which 

falls on Nov. 21. However, this feast is a celebration of the Virgin Mary's entrance into the Temple of 

Jerusalem, when she began her years of service in the Temple as one of the Temple virgins. The Church is 

correct in celebrating as a feast the day the Virgin Mary began her service in the Temple. However, the name 

of this feast should be changed to avoid confusion with the day of Saint Ann's Purification in the Temple. The 

day for celebrating Saint Ann's purification should be called `The Presentation of the Virgin Mary.' The other 

feast should be called `Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple,' just as it is called in the Eastern Churches. 

Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (November 9) 

    The Virgin Mary is Virgin of the Temple, and that Temple is Christ Jesus, her Savior. The Virgin Mary 

entered the service of the Temple of Jerusalem on November 8, the same day as her Immaculate Virgin 

Conception (see chapters 8 and 9). Her first full day as a Temple Virgin was therefore November 9. Since the 

Immaculate Virgin Conception will be celebrated on November 8, the beginning of the Virgin Mary's service 

to God as the Temple Virgin should be celebrated on the following day, November 9. 

    In the current liturgical calendar, November 9 is the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. 

I suggest dropping this feast from the calendar or moving it to another day. The events of Mary's Immaculate 

Conception and her service to God as Temple Virgin are far more important to the Church than the dedication 

of any Basilica.

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The Virgin Mary, Perfect Virgin (January 1) 

    The first day of the (civil) calendar year should be dedicated to the Virgin Mary, so that we begin each year 

with her blessings. But the celebration of Mary as the Mother of God should remain close to the date of 

Christmas. This celebration on January 1 can be dedicated to the Virgin Mary under whatever title or purpose 

the Church decides. I suggest dedicating this day to the Perfect Virginity of the Virgin Mary.

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The Dormition of the Virgin Mary (July 31) 

    In the East, Christians know well that the Virgin Mary died and was resurrected from the dead before she 

was assumed into Heaven (see chapter 10). At the present time (

A.D.

 2001), many Catholics do not know or 

understand this truth. Those who still doubt, I refer to the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII, 

Munificentissimus Deus, (also titled,  Defining the Dogma of the Assumption ), which clearly and repeatedly 

refers to the death of the Virgin Mary.

1176

    The Virgin Mary died on July 31; she was resurrected from the dead and was assumed into Heaven by the 

power of Jesus Christ early in the day on August 15. The Dormition (death) of the Virgin Mary should be 

remembered on July 31, the actual day of her death. The Church should place the Solemnity of Mary's 

Dormition on the same calendar day as it actually occurred, July 31. 

The Fast of the Dormition (August 1 to 14) 

    In the East, many Christians fast from August 1 to August 14, inclusive. This fast is a remembrance of the 

time between the Virgin Mary's death and her Resurrection and Assumption. I ask the Church to consider 

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