Calendar

Collect:

O Lord, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church, and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succor, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one od, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect:

Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot exist without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Fr Mead wrote (in one of his many sermons on the Blessed Virgin) the following explanation regarding this particular feast day:

      "August 15 is the great feast of Mary which Roman Catholics call the Assumption and Eastern Orthodox call the Dormition (or Falling Asleep) of Mary at the end of her earthly life. The Episcopal Church, together with much of the Anglican Communion, simply calls this the Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we use the same lessons and prayers as Rome and Orthodoxy to celebrate the fact that from the beginning to the end of her extraordinary life as the mother of Jesus, God has “taken her to himself.” She is, as Scripture attests, the highly favored one, full of grace, for the Lord is with her."

In addition to this feast, we also celebrate at Saint Thomas:
►The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8
►The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8
►The Feast of the Annunciation on March 25
►The Visitation on May 31

A 12:10 Mass in honor of Mary is offered once a month in the Chantry Chapel (Lady Chapel), usually but not always on the first Saturday.

Collect:

O God, who hast taken to thyself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of thy incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of thine eternal kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect:

Grant, we beseech thee, merciful God, that thy Church, being gathered together in unity by thy Holy Spirit, may manifest thy power among all peoples, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Collect:

Lord of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.