This month, 63 students spent their spring breaks positively contributing to several communities along the East Coast. During the week of March 6-10, students traveled to Baltimore, MD; Georgetown, DE; Immokalee, FL; Norristown, PA; Trenton, NJ; and Washington, D.C. as part of the College’s Campus Ministry Office’s SEND Service Immersion Program.

SEND, which was established in 1986, provides students—who are accompanied by faculty, staff and alumni—the opportunity to directly impact communities through volunteer work. SEND participants bond with fellow peers, faculty, staff, and alumni while working side-by-side to rebuild neighborhoods, gain new cultural perspective, and engage in prayer activities that reflect on ideals rooted in the Assumptionist tradition. This spring, SEND partnered with organizations like Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, and Ministry of Presence sites.

“Our hope for the students participating in SEND is that they begin to view service as an opportunity to build relationships with others in ways that recognize our shared human dignity and call us to a life of faith in action,” said Vincent Sullivan-Jacques, assistant director of Campus Ministry and director of volunteer outreach and community engagement.

CONVERSATIONS AT THE CENTER: Social Media - An Opportunity for or Threat to Christian Witness? -  PDF file

From 1963 to 1967 I attended Our Lady of Lourdes Seminary in Cassadaga, New York, an Assumptionist enclave. During that period, I received an excellent education, strengthened the foundations of my faith, learned to think and question, built true friendships and received valuable lessons in living as a member of a community. To this day, I've never hesitated in telling anyone that my seminary experience was positive and much appreciated.

I send this contribution with heartfelt gratitude for the experience the Assumptionists gave me so many years ago.

Sincerely,

Charles "Charlie" Garon

In late February, Vietnamese brothers and sisters of the Assumption Family in formation in Europe gathered at an Assumptionist retreat center outside of Paris to celebrate together the Asian New Year (Têt) around the theme of Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato si'.

In spite of the wintry weather, spring was still in the air, at least a little bit… with daylight expanding, some wildflowers blossoming, and sap in trees begin to flow more swiftly.

More than fifty of us came to usher in the Year of the Rooster.