Originals Destroyed by 1953 Tornado that Ripped through Assumption’s Greendale Campus; Worcester Diocese Bishop to Attend Sept. 20 Blessing, Dedication

Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, Assumption College will dedicate four additional stained-glass windows that were once part of the College and Preparatory School’s Greendale campus chapel, which was damaged 61 years ago by a tornado. They will join three other stained-glass windows—one of which is called “The Tornado Window,” in remembrance of the three Assumption community members who perished in the June 9, 1953, storm—that were dedicated in June 2013.

Joining Assumption College President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., at this Saturday’s dedication will be Bishop Robert McManus of the Diocese of Worcester. The ceremony will start at 3:30 p.m. on the ground floor (Atrium) of Testa Science Center for the dedication of the first two windows, The Crowning of Mary and The Adoration of the Magi. These windows’ restoration was donated by the Assumption Prep classes of 1957 and 1962, respectively. At 4 p.m., the ceremony will move to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit for the dedication of Christ before Pilate and The Last Supper. The restoration of these two windows was funded by donations by the Assumption Prep classes of 1956 and 1964, respectively. Bishop McManus will bless all four windows.

At the close of the Jubilee Year of 2000, in reference to the Christian’s call to HOLINESS by virtue of Baptism, St. John Paul II writes the following: “The time has come to repropose wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living” (Apostolic Letter: Novo Millenio Ineunte, #31). He then goes on to mention the importance of prayer for “training in holiness” and that “we who have received the grace of believing in Christ . . . have a duty to show to what depths the relationship with Christ can lead”, and that “the great mystical tradition of the Church of both East and West has much to say in this regard” (NMI, 31-33).

I am Joseph Kakule Munduvuyira. I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), August 14, 1978.

My parents are Ferdinand Muhindo Muhuwo and Madeleine Kahambu Muhiwa. They are Christians. I come from Mbau, a small village in the Eastern part of the DRC. I am a native of an Assumptionist Parish. Thus, I knew the Assumptionist family since I was young.

Katherine Vachawski ‘14 Will Conduct Research on Catholicism and National Identity Formation in Lithuania.

Assumption College alumna Katherine Vachawski ’14 of Coventry, R.I., has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship. Vachawski will conduct research in Lithuania during the 2014-2015 academic year on how and whether the shared experience of Catholicism works to integrate the Polish community in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“Katherine Vachawski represents the best of an Assumption College education and embodies the finest qualities of a Fulbright Scholar,” said Assumption College President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., a former Fulbright Scholar himself. “The Assumption community is proud of her commitment to intellectual growth and cultural awareness. Katherine wants to make a difference in our world, and the Fulbright scholarship provides her the opportunity to contribute to discovering solutions to shared international concerns.”