In late February, Vietnamese brothers and sisters of the Assumption Family in formation in Europe gathered at an Assumptionist retreat center outside of Paris to celebrate together the Asian New Year (Têt) around the theme of Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato si'.

In spite of the wintry weather, spring was still in the air, at least a little bit… with daylight expanding, some wildflowers blossoming, and sap in trees begin to flow more swiftly.

More than fifty of us came to usher in the Year of the Rooster.

After an initial walk in the woods around the bucolic grounds of St. Lambert, the retreat center an hour’s drive from downtown, Fr. Dominique Lang, an Assumptionist priest, helped us to unravel the teaching of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, published on May 24, 2015, which underlines the need to care for the natural and social environment.

In the evening we had time to greet one another, catch up on our lives, pray, and engage in traditional songs and dances.

Although we may be far from home, this common celebration every year gives us a taste of home but also rekindles in us the desire to make our way joyfully and confidently to our true homeland, the Kingdom of God

Br. VO Long