Dan Connors

Dan Connors, newly named Editor-in-Chief of Catholic Digest, was a guest for dinner and discussion at Emmanuel House on the campus of Assumption College, on June 29, 2005. Much helpful information was shared about Dan's life in Catholic publishing and about the particular challenges of securing a market niche for Catholic Digest. The convivial conversation was a good first step in the direction of promoting collaboration between Bayard North America, the Assumptionists, and Assumption College.

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The Assumptionist Province of North America has a new Provincial Superior

Very Reverend Richard Lamoureux, A. A., Superior General of the Assumptionists, has named Father Marcel Poirier, A. A. Provincial of North America, replacing Father John Franck, A. A. who held the post for the past nine years.

Father Marcel recently completed twelve years as Treasurer General residing in Rome during that period. A citizen of Canada, Father Marcel is the first non-American to serve as Provincial of North America which includes the Regions of Mexico, United States and Canada.

Alex, Dihn, Ricky and I had the privilege of participating last summer in the Annual National Pilgrimage to Lourdes organized by the French Province of the Congregation. The experience gave us an opportunity to participate in different activities such as the daily Eucharist, prayers in the grotto, processions, community service and socializing with some religious and diocesan seminarians who were also there.

Brother Carlos, A.A.

Two experiences during my stay in Lourdes marked me personally. In Lourdes I felt proud of being an Assumption. The pilgrimage gave me an idea of how dedicated and committed are my Assumptionist brothers to the ministry for the sick. There was an active participation on the part of the greater Assumption Family. Every Assumption sister and brother was doing something for the realization of a common endeavor.

Secondly, the feeling of being at the site where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette 19 times in 1890 was remarkable. The pilgrim’s expression of faith was inspiring to behold coupled with the prayerful atmosphere of the place. As a religious, the experience was a source of inspiration and spiritual renewal. It would be good to derive strength from the experience when the going gets tough. Finally, the pilgrimage was a testimony of how “unity in diversity” is lived concretely in the Church. People who were there came from different cultural backgrounds, age groups, etc. but all unanimously joined together in praising God, the source of healing and consolation. I am most grateful to God for the grace of being at Lourdes and for having participated in the apostolate of my Assumptionist brothers and sisters last summer.

Bro. Carlos Melocoton, A.A.

Assumptionist Center, Brighton, MA,  July 4, 2005

Many from the US region gathered for the annual Fourth of July cookout hosted by the Brighton community. The weather could not have been better, and the celebration was enhanced by the presence of some of our brothers from the "diaspora:" Fr. Teddy Fortier from our community in Athens, Greece; and Frs. Luc Martel and Oliver Blanchette from our mission in East Africa. We were joined also by our Sisters from Worcester, the Religious of the Assumption. As part of the occasion, Fr. Dennis Gallagher, Regional Superior, offered some words of thanks on behalf of the community to Fr. John Franck, for his nine years of generous service to his brothers as Provincial Superior.

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For the first time in the Assumptionist history lay people participated in the General Chapter. Please read more at: www.dalzon2005.com

Assumption College, Worcester, MA, October 1, 2004 

At the Holy Mass in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit the Augustinians of the Assumption awarded a d’Alzon Medal to Francis P. Gurley, the College's Executive Vice President/Treasurer.

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On Saturday, August 28, the feast of St. Augustine, our father, in the outdoor pavilion of St. Anne's Shrine in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, thousands of miles away from their homeland, but surrounded by hundreds of their fellow countrymen, parishioners, friends, and members of the Assumption family, male and female, Brothers Clemente Boleche, Jr., Alex Castro, and Carlos Melocoton made their first vows, committing their lives freely and fully to God in the Augustinians of the Assumption. Their profession marks another important step in the dream of an Assumptionist foundation in the Philippines, scheduled for the summer of 2006. The ceremony was capped off by a delightful and delicious meal of Filipino dishes, including lechon (roast pig). Filipino song and dance followed, of course. Together with their brother, Ricky Montañez, who made his first vows in January in Chile, Clem, Alex, and Carlos will begin seminary studies at St. John's Seminary in Boston in September.

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