On the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, at Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, Archbishop Christian Lépine of Montreal invited the faithful to contemplate Mary as mother, as a model of Christian life, and as an example for the mission of every baptized person.

In his homily, the archbishop recalled that devotion to Mary has accompanied Christians since the earliest centuries of the Church. At the foot of the Cross, when Jesus says to the disciple, "Here is your mother," Mary is given to us as our mother. Her mission continues in heaven: she remains mother of the Church, and of each one of us.

A Mother Who Leads Us to Her Son

What is Mary's greatest desire for us? To give us her Son, Jesus Christ.

Archbishop Lépine recalled that Christ is the one we need most deeply: he gives us life and opens the way to eternal life. Mary, in turn, always leads us toward her Son.

She is also a model for every baptized person. Her "yes" to God, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word," reveals a heart that is faithful, ready, and full of hope.

"Mary's heart is a school of availability to God," the archbishop said, inviting each person to learn, after her example, to speak their own "yes" to the Lord.

Carrying Jesus to the World "With Haste"

This readiness also leads to mission. Archbishop Lépine spoke of Mary who, carrying Jesus within her, set out "with haste" to visit her cousin Elizabeth.

Following her example, every baptized person is called to carry Jesus Christ to the world, in daily life and wherever they may be. This mission is personal, but it also belongs to the whole Church.

The feast of the Assumption also reminds us of our hope: Mary, taken up body and soul into heaven, shares fully in the glory of Christ's Resurrection. Her Assumption points to what we are all called to: eternal life with God.

Letting the Walls Fall

As Mass drew to a close, Archbishop Lépine invited the faithful to take part in a Jericho walk: seven times around the cathedral in prayer, recalling the Book of Joshua, where the Israelites circled the walls of Jericho seven times in faith and obedience, and the walls fell on their own, opening the city before them.

It was a symbolic gesture: an invitation to ask the Lord to bring down, the same way, whatever still stands between our hearts and the total "yes" Mary gave him.

The celebration concluded in keeping with the message of the homily: following Mary's example, to open our hearts to God, to offer him our "yes," and to carry Jesus Christ to the world with haste.

Watch the celebration: