June 18, 2016 - Pinhal, Brazil

Twice a year the Plenary General Council (PGC) of the Congregation (the superior general, his assistants, and the provincials of the six provinces of the Congregation) meet to evaluate, plan, and discusss the life and mission of the Congregation. These meetings are opportunities for the leaders of the Congregation to assess our resources (personnel and finances) and try to place them at the disposition of the entire Institute.

Every December the meeting is held at the general house in Rome while the June meeting is held in one of our provinces in the world. This year the choice was Brazil and the Assumptionist retreat house/spirituality center in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, some three hours west of the bustling metropolis of Sao Paulo. This center houses three separate communities of Assumptionists, the staff of a local parish, the residence of senior religious, and the newly opened novitiate of the Assumptionists in South America (for the Andean province and the province of Brazil).