It was with great jubilation that the Assumption Family of brothers, relatives and guests of Fr. Oliver, A.A. celebrated his 100^th birthday on Saturday, March 12^th, 2016. A Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit on the campus of Assumption College, with Rev. Jose Miguel Allon, A.A., Provincial as presider and Rev. Peter Precourt, A.A., Territorial Superior as homilist. Fr. Peter ended his homily by reading a letter of birthday greetings and gratitude from Fr. Benoit Griere, A.A. Superior General, who recognized Fr. Oliver’s many years as a faithful Assumptionist and his tireless zeal in serving God’s people near and far.

Before the final blessing, Fr. Oliver offered a few remarks wherein he focused on gratitude to God for His many blessings, asked forgiveness for having offended God and others in any way, thanked God for the opportunity of being His servant and being touched by so many people throughout his many assignments and lastly, expressed his gratitude for the fraternity of living among and being supported by his Assumptionist brothers .

During my spring break I got the opportunity to travel to Trenton New Jersey with other Assumption students to volunteer at a variety of service sites. We met many new faces and immersed ourselves in a way of life which is different than what we were used to. It was great to make even the slightest difference in a community that is less fortunate than ours, and to put a smile on the faces of individuals who are going through tough times!

Fr. Ron Sibugan A.A.
Campus Minister, Assumption College

From March 7 to 10, 2016, representatives of the only two Assumptionist university-level institutions in the world met in Nairobi for a work session intended to assist the newer of the two institutions, ISEAB. The main theme was the articulation and fine-tuning of a strategic development plan. Assumption College, with over 100 years of experience and several such plans under its belt, offered to help its junior partner in this process. Assumption College allowed two of its expert administrators, Profs. Bart Morrison and Eric Drouat, to lead the Nairobi session to assure ISEAB’s own smooth development.

The delegation from ISEAB elaborated a set of ‘in-put’, which the group analyzed and which will eventually lead to ‘out-put’, namely a text that will serve as the guiding document for ISEAB over the next ten years or so. The time spent analyzing its experience allowed the ISEAB contingent to rediscover its strengths and weaknesses and to identify the external threats and opportunities that exist. Along the way, Assumption College was identified by ISEAB as an opportunity that will allow it to overcome its weaknesses but also to navigate certain threats by establishing a partnership, some of the terms of which were discussed during the session.

February 11, 2016

In the early hours of the morning the first Mass on this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes was celebrated by the shrine's rector, Fr. Aldo Gajardo Álvarez, who recalled the message of Lourdes, highlighting the figure of Mary as mother and of Bernardette as her messenger.

During the morning, defying a scorching sun, thousands of pilgrims came streaming to the shrine from every corner of Santiago and from other cities as well. One pilgrim from Parral, Mecedes, commented, “I have been coming to the feast of Lourdes since I was a child and now I am almost 70 years old. I follow the same schedule--- I get up early, stay all day and go home only late at night". She was happy with this year's event, adding "I inherited this tradition from my mother and I have tried to transmit it to my children. This year I had to come by myslelf because all my children are at work and couldn't get away. One of my daughters who comes with me every year will be going to the evening Mass near her home. At least we'll be united in prayer at that moment”.

This is just one of the many testimonies of faith that one encounters year after year on this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.