Almighty ever-lasting God, who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son, body and soul into heavenly glory, grant, we pray, that, always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory.
(Collect from the Mass During the Day, Feast of the Assumption)

On Monday, July 1, the Assumptionist region of Kinshasa was honored to receive the visit of Lynne BROUILLETTE, a lay Assumptionist from the USA, responsible for the NGO known as « Kids in the Congo ». It was her first visit to the Kinshasa area. She was met at the N’djili international airport by Fathers Michael TSONGO, superior of the house of theology, a number of other Assumptionists stationed in Kinshasa, Zacharie WASUKUNDI who came from Kenya to serve as a translator, and Fabien DIADIA, director of the Emmanuel d’Alzon school complex in Bibwa.

In fact, for some years now, the Assumptionist region of Kinshasa has been collaborating with this lady through the intermediary of Fr. Luc MARTEL, at the time, director of the International Development Office of the Assumptionists, in view of supporting this school complex and its students. That is why she came to get a first-hand view of the realities of this newly built school, situated in the « suburbs » of Kinshasa, where the Assumptionists maintain this institution.

Along with the heat, the number of young people is a strong first impression of Vietnam.  In fact, the median age of the country is 34, so appearances do not deceive.  The motor scooter is still the favored means of getting around, although there are many more cars on the road since I visited the country with Fr. Dinh seven years ago.  The scooters dart in and out in, somehow squeezing through spaces that look impassible.  An unaccustomed Westerner has his heart in his throat.

Assumption in Vietnam is also young.  Our meetings coincided with an annual workshop for young religious and candidates of the Assumption family.  They spent three days together, learning about the city of Jerusalem in sessions led by Jean-Luc Eckert, AA.   One of the highlights of our  meetings was the chance for each of us provincials to address this large group of young people about the life of Assumption in our countries.  A more informal and even more enjoyable moment was joining some of the young brothers later in the evening for grilled fish and shrimp on the beach, with some Tiger beer to wash it down.

Allow me to linger on the seafood.  Our meetings were held at a diocesan facility in the coastal city of Vung Tau, about a hundred miles from Saigon.  Right on the coast, the seafood was fresh, varied, and plentiful.  One casualty of the trip were singed fingers from peeling the shells off the grilled shrimp that kept on coming.  Such a hardship.