A half-million people, including thousands from high schools and colleges, participated Jan. 22, 2015, in the 41^st annual March for Life on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Fifteen were Assumption College students, who rallied in support of the protection of human life at all stages.

“There has been a new wave of support for the pro-life movement in the past few years,” said senior Julia Gilberto, president of Assumption’s Advocates for Life student organization, which co-sponsored the bus trip to the nation’s capital with the College’s Office of Campus Ministry. “This support is because people have realized that the pro-life movement is a direct response to a genuine concern for the well-being of every human being.

“We try to stress at our meetings that Roe v. Wade has not only left the unborn voiceless, but women as well,” added Gilberto. “There are numerous testimonies from women who express that they felt pressured by boyfriends, family members, or abortion clinics to have abortions. These voices need to be heard.”

By Fr. Alex Castro, A.A.

For five days last January, we were blessed, we were moved, we were humbled, and we were challenged by the visit of our Holy Father Pope Francis.

Indeed his visit brought about the Lord’s call for “Mercy and Compassion” which was the theme of his visit.

As I reflect on his speeches during his pastoral visit, it seems like he wanted to present to us a Program of Mercy and Compassion which we can use during this season of Lent.

First and foremost, this program is centered on Jesus Christ’s mercy and compassion. He repeatedly reminded the faithful that his visit was not about him; it is all about Jesus Christ.  In his homily at the emotion-filled mass in Tacloban City, the Holy Father emphasized that “I come to tell you that Jesus is Lord and He never lets us down. He is there for you. He is capable of understanding us…he is capable of crying with us, capable of walking with us in the most difficult moments of our life.”

On Saturday, January 31^st, 2015, members of the St. Anne-St.Patrick Parish Life Care Ministry participated in a unique retreat opportunity. The retreat theme, “Until Jesus is Formed in Us,” was the focus of the entire day.  The participants, all members of the Life Care Ministry, are Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist who serve the shut-ins, sick and elderly in the Sturbridge area.

Held at the Old English Road residence of the Assumptionists, the retreat was conducted by Father Joseph Zhang,A.A., Deacon Keith Caplette and Patty Haggerty. The presentations for the day focused on the “bread of life discourse” and several documents from Vatican II dealing with the liturgy, the Eucharist and the lay apostolate.

At the beginning of this year, the Assumptionist shrine in Quebec City (Montmartre canadien) launched a new website to promote its various activities: http://www.lemontmartre.ca/culture-et-foi.

Montmarte canadien, as the new site explains, is a place to encounter Christ through prayer, listening to the Word of God, reflection, and fellowship. The center is run by the Assumptionists and their lay collaborators. It seeks to reach those individuals, especially the young, who wish to deepen their faith or return to the Christian faith by joining a Christian community that focuses three areas: