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WE HONOR OUR BULGARIAN MARTYRS ON THEIR FEAST DAY

On this feast of the Assumptionist Bulgarian martyrs I would like to begin with a word about a heart-wrenching meeting that I will never forget, that took place last December in Rome between Bishop Christo Proykov, the apostolic exarch of Sofia (and therefore of all Catholics of the Oriental rite in Bulgaria), and the members of the Assumptionist Plenary General Council, that is to say, the superior general, his assistants, and all six of the provincials of the Congregation.

Bishop Proykov came to speak to us about the difficult decision we had taken to close our only community in Bulgaria and to withdraw the three Assumptionists living there. I can’t get into the long and painful process that led up to this decision, but it was one that we took with the greatest reluctance and sorrow and after countless deliberations with the members of the local community and many others.

Before I recount some of Bishop Proykov’s remarks, let me simply say a few words about the martyrs themselves. Some of you may not know much about them, all of whom were executed around midnight on the evening between November 11 and November 12, 1952 after a laughable mock trial during which they were accused by the Communist regime of being Vatican spies and agents of Western powers.

Fr. Dennis Gallagher, provincial of the North American region of the Assumptionists, on Nov. 5 participated in the first of the 2017 “Conversations at the Center,” an ongoing series of talks and lectures on faith and culture.

Fr. Dennis offered a reflection on Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon, founder of the Assumptionists, paying particular attention to d’Alzon’s vocational discernment and his crisis years—when he fell ill. Many of the people in attendance—which included a large contingent of the Sturbridge Lay Assumptionists—commented on the similarities between d’Alzon’s 19^th-century France and the 21^st-century United States.

As always, after the talk, everyone moved into the dining room and enjoyed brunch and more conversation.

CONVERSATIONS AT THE CENTER - NOVEMBER 5, 2017

Did you know, that I love penguins?

Did you know that I love penguins? - PDF file

CNN Faith and Religion Commentator to Present on Religion, Church and the Media

WORCESTER, MA (October 24, 2017) — Media plays a significant role in shaping the public’s minds and opinions and religion is no different. Assumption College will welcome Father Edward Beck, C.P. ’80, CNN’s faith and religion commentator, who will present “Religion, Church and the Media: A Delicate Balance” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, in the La Maison Auditorium on the College’s Worcester campus, 500 Salisbury St.

“Religion, Church and the Media: A Delicate Balance,” will focus on the various portrayals of faith and religion in mainstream media, particularly through televised news. Fr. Beck will draw upon his 10 years of experience in network and cable news to examine the ways in which mainstream media cover faith and religion in television news.

Fr. Beck graduated from Assumption College in 1980, was ordained in 1985 as a Roman Catholic priest, and is a member of the Passionist Order. For the past 10 years, Fr. Beck has served as a media contributor, providing media analysis on issues of ethics, faith, morality and religion for ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC Family Channel, HLN and current TV. For four years, he co-hosted the weekly ABC News show Focus on Faith with Chris Cuomo. In 2013, Fr. Beck contributed to the coverage of the Conclave that elected Pope Francis.