The priest named important prayers for the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The main prayers of the Dormition of the Virgin are the texts of the all—night vigil and liturgy, which are entirely dedicated to the event of the feast. If you can't visit the temple, you can say a prayer at home. Philip Ilyashenko, a priest and vice-rector of St. Tikhon's Orthodox University for the Humanities, told Izvestia about this.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – 2026: why is this holiday associated not with mourning, but with hope

In 2026, the end of the Dormition Fast is postponed by one day due to Friday.

"The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the 12 main holidays of the church year. A whole service is dedicated to him. In the evening, an all—night vigil is celebrated, and the main service associated with the event is the liturgy. The vast majority of the texts of these divine services are connected with the Dormition," the priest shared.

At the same time, if Orthodox believers cannot attend the divine service for any reason, then it is worth praying at home.

"If it is not possible to attend the service, then you can pray at home. The most understandable and simplest option is the prayer canon to the Mother of God. It is dedicated to the Mother of God as a whole, and not directly to the event of the Assumption," explained Fr. Ilyashenko.

The priest emphasized that in prayer, the request should be addressed to the Lord God, and the Mother of God should be asked to intercede for us before Him.

"We turn to the Mother of God in the same way as to the saints: this is not a request for the Mother of God to do something for us. The Giver of all good things and the One who works miracles is the Lord God. We ask the Mother of God and the saints to intercede for us before God, so that they may intercede for what we ask," the priest concluded.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

The main prayers for the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary: words that believers pronounce with special hope