"To see far and wide and in depth"

With the name D'Alzon Centre (Espace D'Alzon), the Assumptionist community in Sokode recently opened a facility which aims at organizing meetings and discussions in three areas: current events and the media, Assumptionist spirituality, and Christian formation. These programs complement those already offered at the St. Augustine Cultural Center (Centre Culturel Saint Augustin).

These activities give laypeople and religious of all ages an opportunity to live their Christian faith  by understanding what is happening within the Church and society. The underlying vision is: "to see far and wide and in depth" as one looks at various items of interest (whether current events, newly released books,  issues of importance, etc.) in order to gain light on them and open helpful discussion.

The center is overseen by Fr. Jean-Paul Sagadou, A.A., philosopher and theologian, with the assistance of  Br. Georges Houssou, A.A., anthropologist by formation.

To inaugurate the center and make its programs known, there was an open house. Fr. Jean-Paul sent this report: "We held an open house and it was a huge success - more than 200 people came by in the morning and some 300 in the afternoon! It was a great opportunity to reach out to young people in the city and to get them interested. We sponsored a number of activities to attract them: a cross-country race, games, dancing, and a movie, several personal witnesses, and, to be sure, guided tours of the center.  During the day, we had the feeling that everyone in the city, including the Muslim population, understood that the center was open to them. We have organized a steering committee and are already planning a full schedule of events. We're off to a good start as you can see. Keep us in your prayers and thoughts."

Note to readers: The Assumptionist community in Togo opened in November 2006 and is a joint effort of three provinces: France, Africa, and Madagascar. Another community is being planned in nearby Burkina Faso. Already young West Africans have shown an interest in Assumptionist religious life and several have begun their formation.