Dear friends, we thought it would be of great interest to you to meet four of our students with whom we conducted a brief interview. We hope you’ll enjoy meeting them.

MASIKA SALITA, 5th grade  

Q: Why do you like studying at Prince of Peace?

A: I like studying here for many reasons. The Assumptionists who run the school give us an opportunity for a really good foundation in the sciences. We have Mass every Thursday and I appreciate that possibility.

I think that our teachers create a climate of peace and love and treat us as if they were our parents.

Our school is away from the main roads and from downtown, so we don’t have to deal with a lot of noise and can study in good conditions.

We have nice buildings, with spacious and airy classrooms

We have a good library and good books for learning.

I love my school.

Troy Norman, who hails from New Zealand and Vermont, has published a children’s book entitled Pull Yourself Up by Your Booty Boot Straps? The story follows a young boy and his sister as they explore the phrase “pull yourself up by your booty boot straps.” They eventually discover that the only way to “pull yourself up” is with family and friends who are always there to lend a helping hand. The book is available in both print and eBook formats and can be found on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or Apple Books.

Fr. Dennis in El Paso with Fr. Marciano, one of the founding members of the new community

My five day visit to El Paso was something of a whirlwind, but here are some enduring impressions:

Our local AA community, Peter, Ron and Chano, fully constituted only within the last several weeks, is ready to take up a mission whose specific contours have not fully come into view, but whose presence to the local community is warmly welcomed. I saw ample evidence of that, in particular from a cohort of generous volunteers and from the local Knights of Columbus.

A meeting with Bishop Seitz was the occasion to thank him for having received us so well and for him to reiterate his hope and support for a fruitful ministry at the border. We discussed at length the nature of our presence at St. Francis Xavier Parish and made some important decisions regarding its future and our ministry to migrants, drawing upon the particular gifts deriving from our Assumptionist charism.

A highlight of the stay was a visit with our Religious of the Assumption sisters in Chaparral, New Mexico, a 30-minute drive from our house in El Paso. The sisters’ effective ministry to the poor and to recent immigrants has been a mainstay of that community for more than fifteen years. With the relaxation of COVID restrictions, the prospects for a friendship and collaboration with the Sisters holds out much promise.

Please pray for our brothers as they respond to this fresh call to build up God’s Kingdom.

We thank all those who joined us on Memorial Day to remember and pray for those we have lost and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

A special thank you to the family and friends of Fr. Oliver Blanchette (1916-2020) and Fr. Camillus Thibault (1929-2020) who joined us for the celebration.

Here are the photos - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hA3nZcY1iGy3TeePayeP7f9eUEzFw86m?usp=sharing