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What does the Assumption of Mary teach about the end of her earthly life?

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Antonello da Messina: Madonna and Child — Mary *Madonna and Child*, oil and tempera on panel by Antonello da Messina, 1475; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

The Assumption of Mary is a doctrine in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theology teaching that, following the conclusion of her earthly life, Mary was taken—or assumed—into heaven in both body and soul.1

Theologically, this doctrine signifies that Mary’s redemption involved the glorification of her complete personality, serving as an anticipation of the state promised to all of humankind. While the New Testament does not explicitly mention the Assumption, the concept is historically linked to the feast of the Dormition, or "falling asleep," which commemorates the end of her life.1

In 1950, Pope Pius XII formally defined the Assumption as dogma for Roman Catholics, declaring that "the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, when the course of her earthly life was run, was assumed in body and soul to heavenly glory".12