PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST Archbishop George Andrew Beck (1904-1978)

George Andrew Beck was born in Streatham, in south London. He was educated at Clapham College and later at the Assumptionist College of St Michael at Hitchin in Hertfordshire. Undertaking his theological studies in England and Belgium, he made his final vows in 1926 and, at the age of 23, was ordained in 1927.

He began his priestly life in the education apostolate, first as a teacher in Hitchin, then as its director. In 1944 he assumed direction of the Assumptionist college in Nottingham, The Becket School, and in 1948 he was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Brentwood and titular bishop of Tigias. He succeeded as Bishop of Brentwood in 1951 and was subsequently Bishop of Salford from 1955 to 1964.

PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST Charles Mbogha Kambale (1942-2005)

A native of the diocese of Butembo-Beni (North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo), Most Rev. Charles Mbogha Kambale was born in 1942 in Kilubo, the son of Emile Malyabwana and Cécile Kahambu. He attended high school at St. Joseph's diocesan minor seminary in Musienene (1956-1963), and pursued his philosphy and theology studies at Pius X major seminary in Bukavu, the major metropolitan area of the province (1963-1965, 1965-1969). Ordained a priest on July 24, 1969, he was first of all appointed professor at the minor seminary he had attended in Musienene (1969-1970), and then professor at the Collège Lwanzururu in Beni (1970-1972). It was at this time that he officially asked to join the Assumptionists and began his novitiate under the able direction of the only other Congolese Assumptionist at the time, Fr. Jérôme Masumbuko Tsongo Ndara. Once professed, he left for Brussels, Belgium to pursue a licentiate in catechetics at the Lumen Vitae Institute.

PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST: Fr. Amarin Mertz, A.A. World-wide Missionary (1907-1985)

Early Years

The fourth of six children, René Mertz was born in Riedwhir (Haut-Rhin), France, on February 18, 1907. After attending several  Assumptionist high school seminaries, he joined the congregation and made his first vows on November 5, 1926, taking the name Amarin. After studying philosophy in Belgium and theology in France, he was ordained a priest at the end of 1934.

PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST: REV. Louis Petit (1868-1927) - Assumptionist, Scholar, Editor, Archbishop

Louis Petit was born into modest family in the Savoy region of France on February 21, 1868, the seventh of eleven children. Early on, his teachers noted his keen intelligence and prodigious memory. He joined the Assumptionists in 1885, took final vows in 1887 and was ordained a priest in 1891. From 1887 to 1894 he alternated teaching at various hug school seminaries and obtaining licentiates in philosophy and theology in Rome.

PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST Fr. GOULVEN MADEC, A.A. (1930-2008)

A LIFE AT THE SCHOOL OF ST. AUGUSTINE

Goulven Madec died on April, 2008 in Layrac, France at the age of 77. As one recent commentator wrote, "If the Western world has rediscovered the work of St. Augustine, it is in good part due to this specialist, known throughout the world. In fact, he spent his life discovering St. Augustine, one of the greatest 'Fathers' of the Church, and getting others to love him. Moreover, he brought the works of Augustine out of the shadows of scholarly circles. His daily conversation with Augustine enabled him to bring sound answers to several critical questions, such as the evolution and conversion of Augustine or the influence  of Neo-platonism, while rejecting the medieval distinction between  philosophy and theology which, by its anachronism, seemed to him to have often distorted Augustinian studies."

PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST  REV. GERVAIS QUENARD, A.A. (1875-1961)   SUPERIOR GENERAL (1923-1952)

First assignments in the Near East

Born in Chignin, next to Montmélian (Savoie), France, on January 11, 1875, Jean-Claude Quénard, after grammar school, already became somewhat of a founder by participating in the foundation of the alumnate in Miribel-les-Echelles (Isère) in 1887. After finishing his secondary education in Brian (Drôme) from 1890 to 1892, he received the Assumptionist habit on August 7, 1892 at the novitiate in Livry (Seine-Saint-Denis) with the name of Brother Gervais. Annually professed August 7, 1893, he finished his novitiate in Phanaraki, Turkey, where he made final profession August 15, 1894, and where he studied philosophy (1894-1896). He studied theology in Jerusalem (1896-1900) where he was ordained a priest August 20, 1899 by Latin Patriarch Luigi Piavi.

PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST Fr. Antoine Wenger, A.A. (1919-2009) was born into a working class family in the Alsatian town of Rohrwiller in 1919, only 2 miles away from the village of his predecessor as editor in chief at La Croix, Fr. Émile Gabel. After completing his secondary studies at Assumptionist seminaries, he made his first vows as an Assumptionist in 1937, then studied philosophy and theology. From all accounts he was a brilliant student who caught the eye of most of his professors.

Ordained a priest in 1943, he was directed toward scholarly research. He pursued studies in history, literature, and theology at the Universities of Paris and Strasbourg, as well as l’École pratique des hautes études and the Institut national des langues orientales, before joining in 1946 the prestigious Institute for Byzantine Studies founded by the Assumptionists and teaching Oriental theology at the Institut catholique of Lyon.

PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST Most Rev. Pie Neveu, A.A., “The Peasant of Makeyevka”  (1877-1946), Bishop and Apostolic Administrator in Moscow

Eugène Joseph Neveu was a French Assumptionist, bishop and apostolic administrator of Moscow, born in Gien on February 24, 1877 and died in Paris on October 17, 1946. His father was a manufacturer of chinaware. Eugene, one of 16 children,  pursued primary and secondary studies in his hometown before entering the minor seminary of Orléans and finally the Assumptionists in 1895 where he adopted the name Pie. In 1897 he made his final profession in Jerusalem and began his studies of philosophy and theology at Notre-Dame de France in the Holy City. He became a professor at the Assumptionist Slavic seminary of Karagrach (Turkey) in 1901 and was ordained on March 18, 1905.

PROMINENT ASSUMPTIONIST Fr. Ernest Fortin was considered to be one of the leading political philosophers in the United States in the late 20th century, especially one interested in questions of faith and reason. Fr. Fortin was born and raised in Woonsocket, Rhode Island in 1923. He attended Assumption College and Laval University, graduating from Assumption College in 1946. He had joined the Augustinians of the Assumption/Assumptionists in 1944, and following graduation he attended the Angelicu in Rome for his theological education. He received his licentiate in 1950. He completed his doctorate at the Sorbonne in 1955 and his dissertation was published in 1959 under the title Christianisme et culture philosophique au cinquième siècle: la querelle de l'âme humaine en Occident.