The Assumptionist Province of North America has a new Provincial Superior

Very Reverend Richard Lamoureux, A. A., Superior General of the Assumptionists, has named Father Marcel Poirier, A. A. Provincial of North America, replacing Father John Franck, A. A. who held the post for the past nine years.

Father Marcel recently completed twelve years as Treasurer General residing in Rome during that period. A citizen of Canada, Father Marcel is the first non-American to serve as Provincial of North America which includes the Regions of Mexico, United States and Canada.

Alex, Dihn, Ricky and I had the privilege of participating last summer in the Annual National Pilgrimage to Lourdes organized by the French Province of the Congregation. The experience gave us an opportunity to participate in different activities such as the daily Eucharist, prayers in the grotto, processions, community service and socializing with some religious and diocesan seminarians who were also there.

Brother Carlos, A.A.

Two experiences during my stay in Lourdes marked me personally. In Lourdes I felt proud of being an Assumption. The pilgrimage gave me an idea of how dedicated and committed are my Assumptionist brothers to the ministry for the sick. There was an active participation on the part of the greater Assumption Family. Every Assumption sister and brother was doing something for the realization of a common endeavor.

Secondly, the feeling of being at the site where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette 19 times in 1890 was remarkable. The pilgrim’s expression of faith was inspiring to behold coupled with the prayerful atmosphere of the place. As a religious, the experience was a source of inspiration and spiritual renewal. It would be good to derive strength from the experience when the going gets tough. Finally, the pilgrimage was a testimony of how “unity in diversity” is lived concretely in the Church. People who were there came from different cultural backgrounds, age groups, etc. but all unanimously joined together in praising God, the source of healing and consolation. I am most grateful to God for the grace of being at Lourdes and for having participated in the apostolate of my Assumptionist brothers and sisters last summer.

Bro. Carlos Melocoton, A.A.

The following message was sent by Walter Cardinal Kasper, the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Dear members of the Assumptionist order, dear family and friends of Fr. George Tavard,

It is with sadness that we have learned of the sudden death of Father George Tavard. His life was a life dedicated to the restoration of unity among Christians, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity owes a geat debt of gratitude to him. He served as a consultor of the then Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity through the years of the Second Vatican Council and up until 1973. He was a member of the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion from its inception, soon after the Council, until 1981, and then was asked to serve on the International Methodist-Catholic Dialogue Commission from 1982 until 2006. He also served on the Catholic Church's dialouges with Lutherans and Anglicans in the United States. The Pontifical Council had planned to honour Fr. Tavard during the course of the meeting of the Methodist-Catholic Commission in October next, for his uninterrupted participation in national and international dialogues since the end of the Second Vatican Council.

He must be considered one of the great pioneers in Catholic ecumenical work, who put his mind, heart and soul at the service of Christian unity over six decades; indeed he was still diligently engaged in ecumenical work until the time of his death. His commitment to ecumenical relations through patient dialogue and rigorous historical scholarship was marked by a boundless energy and an intellectual creativity which spoke of the presence of the Holy Spirit in his lifelong ministry of reconciliation. As we now join you in bidding farewell to our colleague and friend, we commend him to the Lord, confident that the Good Shepherd will be eager to embrace one who has served so well his desire that all might be one.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Walter Cardinal Kasper
President

On Sunday, November 6, twelve of the 19 graduatingmembers of the Our Lady of Lourdes in Cassadaga, NY, Class of 1965 gathered at the Assumptionist residence on Old English Road in Worcester. Prizes for distance traveled were awarded to Paul Belanger (Golden, Colorado) and Tom Giroux (West Palm Beach, Florida), with honorary mention to Bernie Petit (Parsippany, New Jersey).

Cassadagans - Class of 1965 in 2005

After a brief chance to introduce ourselves to one another (and try to recognize each other after forty years), we spent time in a more formal way catching up with each other's lives since graduation. Without exception, we all spoke of the incredibly formative experience that Cassadaga has been in our lives. Several phrases kept popping up in the conversation: strong community, a solid academic experience, a love of the liturgy and a work ethic. It was an afternoon and early evening that left all of us grateful for the time we had spent in Cassadaga and anxious to maintain the ties we had re-established.