On August 1 we begin the Dormition Fast, preparing for the great feast of the Dormition (or “Falling Asleep”) of the Theotokos. This fast begins on August 1 with the Procession of the Holy Cross and ends with the Feast of the Dormition, August 15. The remembrance of the Cross reminds us of our own precious responsibility to follow the way of Jesus Christ, while the Dormition reminds us of our hoped-for end, welcomed into Paradise by Christ’s own mother.

Don’t let these few days slip past unnoticed.