(Located in the northeast region of Brazil, the diocese of Juazeiro faces numerous socio-economic and pastoral issues. Its Assumptionist bishop, Most Rev. José Geraldo da Cruz, paints a realistic picture of the situation for us and demonstrates his determination for the future.   This article first appeared in the April/May/June 2013 issue of the Assumptionist magazine, L’Assomption et ses oeuvres.)

The diocese of Juazeiro is split in two by the São Francisco River in the northeast state of Bahia in the heart of caatinga* country. It is divided into nine townships covering 60,000 square kilometers (about 23,000 square miles). It has about 500,000 inhabitants. There are only 14 parishes, six of which are in the city of Juazeiro (pop. 260,000).

On Saturday, April 30^th, 2013, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Assumption College in Worcester, MA was filled with great joy, gratitude and celebration as Bro.Ronald Sibugan, A.A. pronounced his final vows as an Augustinian of the Assumption. Surrounded by his Assumptionist brothers, invited guests and friends, Bro. Ron vowed to live the life on consecrated poverty, chastity and obedience for the rest of his life. Grounded in prayer, living in community and committed to zealous apostolic activity, he promised to live according to the Rule of Saint Augustine and the Assumptionist Rule of life.

ASSUMPTION COLLEGE

Dear members of the Assumption College family,

We are all still in disbelief after the events at the Marathon on Monday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. In true Assumption fashion, the community came together to support one another and those in our community who were personally affected by this senseless tragedy. Sadly, one of our staff members has a daughter who was a spectator who was seriously injured, and a graduate student, whose father works here, who was treated and released the next day.

Immediately, we planned a Mass and prayer service on Tuesday to help demonstrate our concern, and to enable us to join together as a faith community to pray for all those affected and to pray for peace.

("The Congregation will set up an international volunteer program for young people and adults involving the entire Assumption Family." Thus reads the commitment of the Assumptionist general chapter in 2005, a commitment re-iterated at last year's chapter. In fact the Congregation has established two international volunteer programs, one under the supervision of the Province of France,  www.volontariat-assomption.org, and one co-sponsored by the Assumptionists and the Religious of the Assumption in the United States, Associate Missionaries of the Assumption, www.assumptionvolunteers.org. In the following interview, we offer the reflections of one current French volunteer living and working with an Assumptionist community in Sokode, Togo, Jérémie Six. He is interviewed by an Assumptionist novice, Br. Rémi-Clovis)