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.

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