young members of Mexican Assumption and pilgrims arriving on the eve of Guadeloupe Feast
On December 12, 2017 the Assumptionists religious provided 87 prayer services and Masses to celebrate the most important religious event for the Mexican Catholics. Twenty five Assumptionist brothers and fathers have gathered in the Mexico City communities of San Andreas, Casa Manuel and Emperatriz visiting churches, chapels and private homes from 8 am till 8 pm serving thousands of people. Celebration included all day fireworks, music, dancing and meals. During the same time millions of pilgrims have traveled to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City. Father Alex Castro, Brother Dagoberto and Tomasz Jaster had an opportunity to visit and observe the preparations at the Basilica on the eve of the feast. They were struck by the number of people gathering in the areas, which were setting up tents, blankets or were just sleeping on the ground in order to be present at the Basilica on the day of the feast. Mexicans are very grateful for the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe for their country and love to express their love to her very generously.
Fr. Dennis Gallagher, provincial, places a cross on newly accepted postulant, Matthew Mary Onyemaechi Okerete
On Wednesday evening, December 6, Matthew Mary Onyemaechi Okereke was accepted into the postulancy program of the North American province by Fr. Dennis Gallagher, the provincial, who is currently attending meetings of the Congregation's Plenary General Council in Rome. Matthew Mary is a native of Nigeria who is in his last year of theology studies at the Angelicum (Pontifical University of St. Thomas) in the Eternal City. Matthew Mary completed his undergraduate studies in philosophy at the Dominican University in Ibadan, Nigeria. In Nigeria, he was involved for many years in youth ministry. He met the Assumptionists in Rome two years ago and began his period of candidacy last spring. He is interested in teaching one day. Matthew Mary's family resides in Lagos, where he has two married sisters and a brother who is still at home with their widowed mother. Matthew Mary is living at the general house in Rome where he will complete his period of postulancy. In his spare time, Matthew Mary enjoys spending time as a guide in Rome for English-speaking tourists.
During his recent visit to the United States, Fr. Jacob Barasa, AA came to Brighton an shared with us his work at Assumption High School in Nairobi, Kenya. A member of St. Monica’s Parish, Fr. Jacob is the director of the school which serves both mixed boarders and day students, with seven teachers and five support staff.
It was originally the idea of Fr. Wilibrand, AA and a visionary project of the congregation, before he returned to Belgium. Giving witness to the charism of the Assumption, this successful year will be expanded next year with exciting plans for growth. For this to come to fruition, mobilizing fund raising efforts is critical, according to Fr. Jacob.
The school is particularly concerned in reaching out to the poor, especially children from the slums and from single parent homes who need to beg for food and clean water. Large numbers suffer from poor health and prostitution is a problem among the youth. Hopefully, it is education that will significantly help to break this cycle hopelessness and despair.
It is always good to unwind, relax, and clear your mind. I cannot think of a better way of doing this than by practicing AIKIDO (a modern Japanese martial art rooted in the way of a Samurai.) I have been involved in AIKIDO on and off for over 30 years. After our children were born, I had a break for 15 years. Three years ago, my son Radek and I joined a DOJO in Worcester. It is such a great pleasure to get your bones thrown around and at the same time build community with many others who are working to bring peace to our society.
Father all-powerful, your gifts of love are countless and your goodness infinite; as we come before you on Thanksgiving with gratitude for your kindness, open our hearts to have concern for every man, woman, and child, so that we may share your gifts in loving service. (Collect for Thanksgiving Day)
Thanksgiving Greetings and Blessings from the Assumption Family!
Charles Blondin was a world-renowned tightrope artist and acrobat. On June 30, 1859, before a stunned crowd of thousands of excited onlookers, Blondin was the first person to cross Niagara Falls by tightrope. He crossed 1,100 feet on a single three-inch hemp cord, strung 160 feet above the falls on one side to a spot 270 feet above the falls on the other. The breathless assembly watched him accomplish, step by slow step, a feat most believed impossible.
But Blondin was just getting started. In the years to come, the daring entertainer crossed again and again…..seventeen times: on stilts, in a sack, even pushing a wheelbarrow! The story goes that an exuberant onlooker called out, "You could cross with a man in that wheelbarrow!" Blondin agreed and invited the man to climb in. The spectator nervously declined.
Being invited to hop in the wheelbarrow……………
My brothers in community are aware of my favorite quote from Fr. d’Alzon, one that I often repeat because I feel that better than any other it goes to the heart of what made him tick, captures what gave meaning to his life. It comes from a letter he wrote to a good friend, Alphonse de Vigniamont in 1835, just three months after his ordination:
(In the summer of 2017 the Assumptionists were entrusted with a parish on the outskirts of the city of Orizaba in the eastern state of Veracruz, Mexico. See http://www.assumption.us/news/1572-new-assumptionist-community-in-orizaba-mexico. Fr. Oswaldo Garcia Sanchez, A.A., was appointed pastor; it is his first assignment as such. Formerly he served as a formator and professor in Mexico and the Philippines. Here presents some of the challenges he is facing in Orizaba. This is second part of his reflections.)
Part II
As I mentioned in the Part One, the major challenge in the parish is fostering unity among parishioners who live in 12 separate communities, each with its own chapel…. first of all, unity within each community, unity among members of different political parties, unity among individuals and/or families that have had longstanding conflicts, etc.... Then, even more difficult, we need to create a parish identity. We have a situation in which two of our communities are quite large, the one around the main church in Tlilapan, and another that is much closer to downtown Orizaba. For a long time there have been parishioners in each community who have been working hard, buta ll of them for their own community without ever developing an awareness that they belong to one parish...Our parish is really diverse --- in terms of socioeconomic status, culture, language, traditions, history, Church involvement, etc. Nevertheless, at least now, everyone has expressed an interest in working together and pooling our resources in order to achieve common goals. So that’s what we’re trying to do.
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