The journey had started. I was extremely uncertain about what to expect for a week long SEND trip to Pennsylvania. Little did I know that I was going on one of the greatest trips of my life. Over the next six days, our group visited a homeless shelter, listened to the stories of many who are marginalized in society, worked with a great Habitat for Humanity organization, and had dinner with the Religious of the Assumption sisters who live in Philadelphia and Lansdale.

On Tuesday night, April, 26, 2011 Msgr. Frank Scollen, the colorful pastor of St. Peter's parish in Worcester attended the last Vocation Discernment Evening of the year at Emmanuel House, the Assumptionist residence on the campus of Assumption College. These evenings, held monthly during the academic year, gather young men from the College and the area who are thinking about priesthood and religious life.

Milford Catholic Elementary School's Pledge to the Congo

When school began this year, Mrs. Andrea Tavaska, the principal of Milford Catholic Elementary School, was inspired by an article in the Catholic Free Press about children in the Congo who do not attend elementary school because their families cannot afford it. The article and accompanying picture of the children tugged at her heart strings. A Congolese priest, Father Salvatore Musande, A.A. who is working on his Master’s Degree at Assumption College in Worcester, has started a program to help provide scholarships for these children to attend school. Mrs. Tavaska charged the MCES Student Council with an assignment – adopt this great cause!

AN URGENT PLEA FROM OUR OBLATE SISTERS OF THE ASSUMPTION IN IVORY COAST
by Sr. Isabelle Yeodetessinga , O.A

We are happy to resume contact with you after several months of silence, a silence, I am sure you have heard over the airwaves, that is due to the post-electoral crisis we have been experiencing in Ivory Coast. In fact, what happened was that the day after this election  both of the remaining candidates claimed victory. Both formed governments challenging the other. The international community, represented by the United Nations and a number of regional organizations, sponsored a series of negotiation sessions intended to bring about a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Four months went by without any success. During this time, the common people paid the heaviest price: thousands dead and more than a million forced to flee their homes to other parts of the country or to neighboring nations.