From left: Mia Rabalais, Sarah Reinhardt, Olivia Hernandez, Anastasia Redmann, Hannah Juhas, Caroline Baur, Maggy LeBlanc, and Kaitlin Vlosich.

Student preachers shared their reflections at the Feast of the Assumption Mass on August 15.

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Assumption – when Mary was taken body and soul into heaven. Because Mary has her body in Heaven, she has a unique relationship with us. As our mother, Mary is not only a spiritual guide but is physically present to us as well. Just as we can confide in a mother figure here on earth, we can bring our worries and prayers to Mary. Mary will not only bring our prayers to Jesus but comfort us as a mother does. As we heard in the Gospel today, it was evident to others, even in Mary’s lifetime, that she had a special relationship with God.  –  Maggy LeBlanc ’25

Elizabeth was one of the people who recognized this. In the reading we heard today, Elizabeth said, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Elizabeth’s words have been incorporated into the Hail Mary as we know it today. Mary’s response to Elizabeth was, “the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is His name.” Mary humbly recognized this was not her doing, but God’s.  – Mia Rabalais ’26

In heaven, Mary still rejoices in God’s presence.  God provided for her on earth, just as He does for us. He gave her the ultimate gift of her body and soul united in heaven for eternity. This is the promise we hold on to. As our role model, Mary gives us hope that one day we too will have our own bodies and souls united in heaven.   – Caroline Baur ’25

What can we do in our everyday lives to imitate Mary? Because of her unwavering faith and obedience to God’s plan for her, she was rewarded. Her mission in life was to give birth to Jesus, but God’s plan didn’t end there. We are not all called to the same path in life. We are given unique vocations. Our “yes” to God is not the same as Mary’s “Fiat” and may not seem as important; however, each one of us has a crucial role in God’s plan. Giving a compliment to a stranger or smiling at someone in the hall might seem insignificant and small, but these actions are ways to follow Mary’s example.  – Sarah Reinhardt ’26

Today’s first reading is from the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. We hear about a fully clothed woman in Heaven giving birth to a son, who was destined to rule all the nations. From this, we can infer that this woman was Mary. We then heard about a raging dragon who swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to earth. We can infer that this is Satan because in Genesis, he is represented by a snake and attempted to destroy God’s creation.  – Hannah Juhas ’25

We can look at this reading and see how it parallels the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. After the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God says He will make the woman’s offspring and the snake’s offspring enemies. The woman’s offspring will strike at the snake’s head, while the snake strikes at their heel. From the very beginning to the very end, it is clear that God had a set plan for Mary. And with God, Mary was capable of turning away from all sin and living a life fully devoted to God.  – Olivia Hernandez ‘26

Instead of being intimidated by Mary’s perfection, we can think of it as motivation and take comfort in the fact that she is our mother, who wants to help us. We can accept her help through intercessory prayers.  – Kaitlin Vlosich ’25

We can pray to Mary and ask her to intercede on our behalf and bring all our prayers straight to God. The Hail Mary is one of the strongest prayers because we are asking for her intercession now and at the hour of our death. With this, we pray, Hail Mary full of grace…..  – Anastasia Redmann ’26