At the request of the two superiors general of the Assumptionists and the Oblates, the members of an ad hoc committee to study the feasability of an international congress on education at the Assumption met in Paris on June 19 and 20, 2013.

The committee's work consisted in following up on a proposal for such a congress developed by Fr. Richrad Lamoureux and Sr. Claire Rabitz, former superiors general, and Br. Jean-Michel Brochec, an Assumptionist who dedicated most of his life to education and who edited the booklet entitled Teaching and Education in the Spirit of the Assumption.

The committee fine-tuned the objective of such a congress, its site, date, and duration, the prospective participants, its financing, and recommendations for a steering committee. The congress would aim principally at  articulating fundamental principles of an Assumptionist/Dalzonian education and discuss ways to implement this educational vision within some 40 educational institutions sponsored by both congregations on four continents. It would be the first such congress held in the history of the congregations.

In the eyes of the members of the Committee it would offer the possibility of renewing a quintessential Assumptionist/Dalzonian apostolic priority and of redynamizing these institutions where Assumptionist and Oblate Sisters work hand in hand with numerous lay collaborators to hasten the coming of the Kingdom. It was the firm conviction of the Committee that not only does D'Alzon's vision remain extremely relevant for the 21^st century but that we have an obligation to make it better known and implemented in our schools, especially at a time when the two congregations are investing such energy and resources in opening new schools and at a time when the challenges of modern society require a revitalization of our older ones.

The Commission's findings will soon be presented to the two superiors general and their councils for their review and decision.

Fr. John Franck, A.A.
Assistant General of the Assumptionists