The Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Assumption College in Worcester, MA was the scene of great joy and celebration on Saturday, April 2^nd, as Brother Vo Tran Gia Dinh, A.A. was ordained to the priesthood. In the presence of his family, former seminary classmates from Australia and Vietnam, brother Assumptionists, students, colleagues, the extended family of Assumption and friends, Br. Dinh was called to ordination by his Provincial Fr. Marcel Poirier, A.A. and presented to Bishop Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester, as the Rite of Ordination began.

The congregation responded with a acclamation of· great jubilation. In his homily, Bishop McManus addressed Br. Dinh and the congregation on the role of the priest as sharing in Christ’s priesthood as teacher, priest and shepherd for the service of God’s people and as celebrant of the sacraments, especially through Reconciliation and the Eucharist.

During Spring break this semester, I was part of a group of 14 people from the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College that went on an Immersion trip to El Salvador.

From February 26 to March 6, members of the Assumption Family living and working in Eastern Europe (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and Russia) and Israel held their annual meeting in Jerusalem. At the end of their session, which included a retreat and various workshops, they issued a message to the members of the general chapter scheduled to be held in Rome this coming May.

Meeting at St. Peter-in-Gallicantu (Jerusalem) from February 26 to--March 6 for our annual retreat and working session of the Near Eastern Mission, we, the brothers present, wished to address a message to the General Chapter of the Congregation to be held the month of May in Rome.

February 4-7, 2011

Day One: Our Founders

At Due Pini, the General House of the Assumptionists in Rome, a workshop just ended, which brought together the five Congregations of the Assumption Family (with four representatives from each Congregation). It is the second gathering of this kind, dedicated to deepening reflection on the charism of our religious family. This year,  the theme was the love of the Church.