The Assumptionist Center in Brighton began its sixth year of “Conversations...” recently as a “place where we learn together what it means to be Church.” The theme of the first gathering for this year focused on the “Christian Responses to Illness and Dying.”  Our presenter, Michael Finocchiaro (Finni), is a second year MTS student at BC’s School of Theology and Ministry. In 2012, Finni went through treatment for a type of cancer with strong evidence for environmental causation. At the same time, he lost his uncle to lung cancer. He found that writing, especially in the poetry he shared with us, was an effective way to interpret and convey his experience of sickness and his road to recovery.

On the night of October 18-19 our three Assumptionist brothers, BAMTUPE KISUGHU Edmond, MUMBERE NDULANI Jean-Pierre and KAKULE WASUKUNDI Anselme, were kidnapped from the rectory of Our Lady of the Poor parish in Mbau, diocese of Butembo-Beni, North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since this terrible no reliable news has been gatheed  about their whereabouts. About 800 other civilians, among them men, women, children and even infants, have been kidnapped the same way in the same region, particularly in the Catholic parishes of Oicha, Erigneti, Mbau, Buisegha, and Beni-Paida. As of last night the Catholic parish of Maboya has joined this sad list with the kidnapping of Mr. MUTSUNGA Augustin, a medical doctor.

Dear Brothers,

While here in Africa, we cannot forget our three brothers who were kidnapped one year ago, October 19 2012. Fathers Jean-Pierre MUMBERE NDULANI, Anselme KAKULE WASUKUNDI and Edmond BAMTUPE KISUGHU are unjustly absent from Assumption and from their respective families.  We still have no news and every lead explored has failed to produce results.  The wait is long and painful.  We pray that the kidnappers give us credible news with authentic proofs.

What has marked our region the most this past year has been the passing of the baton from the generation of the founders to a new generation of religious in Togo. As a matter of fact, the departure of Fr. René Mihigo, who bravely accepted an assignment in another new foundation in Goma (Congo Kinshasa), means that none of those religious who came here seven years ago still remains in Togo. Fortunately, one of them, Fr. Jean-Paul Sagadou, has provided some continuity in the area, having moved next door to Burkina Faso to open our new community there. There can be no doubt that the seeds that they planted have borne fruit. Here in West Africa there are now 20 religious (9 formators and 11 young religious in formation) as well as 6 novices, 7 postulants, and 10 pre-postulants.