On a cold June in 1976, Brothers Carlos Antonio Di Pietro and Raúl Rodríguez disappeared from the Assumptionist house of studies in the San Miguel neighborhood of Buenos Aires during the brutal military dictatorship. Soldiers arrived looking for Assumptionist Fr. Jorge Adur whom they considered to be a sympathizer with the guerilla movement and, not finding him, took the two young brothers.

Carlos Antonio Di Pietro was born in Buenos Aires on August 8, 1944, the only son of Antonio and Otilia DiPietro. They were poor and Carlos left school to begin working at 17 to help his family make ends meet. The family situation worsened with the premature death of his father. When he was 22 years old, Carlos entered the vocational training school run by the Assumptionists not far from the city in Lucila.  At first he was neither a brilliant nor a hard-working student, but one who loved community life and spending time with the poor and youth. According to his own testimony, he decided to join the Congregation because of the local Assumptionist community. He made first vows in 1972 and his final vows in 1976, just six months before his disappearance. He often spoke about wanting to become a priest in order "to be able to love much." In the years before his abduction his friends spoke of a growing love for a deep inner life.

Raúl Rodríguez was born in Lobos, near Buenos Aires on March 29, 1947. Little is known of his early life except that before entering the vocational school at the age of 20, his parents had died. Bright and disciplined, his formators encouraged him to pursue studies in philosophy. Simple and happy, the young people with whom he and Carlos worked took to him immediately as did adults in the neighborhood with whom he served on the pastoral council.

Fr. Benoît Grière, A.A., Superior general

La Croix, May 21, 2017

Re-elected superior general of the Augustinians of the Assumption for another six-year term, Fr. Benoît speaks about the priorities that he was given by the Congregation at the recent general chapter which took place in Lyon, France from April 28 to May 17. Above all, he insists that Assumptionists must be for society an example of fraternal life and solidarity with the most fragile.

La Croix (LC): During your closing address at the chapter on May 17, you re-affirmed your conviction that « the Assumptionists have not spoken their last word ». What does the future hold for an apostolic congregation like yours?"

Fr. Benoît Grière (BG): Our congregation was founded by Emmanuel d'Alzon to respond to the need of proclaiming the Gospel to the men and women of his time and I believe we still have a role to play in this arena. But things have changed: born in the 19th century, the Congregation remained French for a long time. Today we have communities in 30 countries on five continents. We are faced with the challenge of updating our apostolic activities, supported by dynamic, prayerful communities: pluricultural, multi-linguistic, and fraternal. People today are looking for a brotherhood that transcends boundaries. And the heart of the Assumption’s witness is just this --- evangelical brotherhood.

By Fr. Pierre Nguyen, novice-master

Some 40 miles east of Saigon (Vietnam) the Assumptionist novitiate has opened “Compassion Restaurant” for children of poor day laborers often left to their devices while their parents are at work.

The Assumptionist novitiate of Ba Ria is located in the parish of Lang Cat some 40 miles east of Saigon. While the life of the novitiate places an especial emphasis on interiority, that does not mean that it is entirely closed in on itself. The novitiate maintains friendly relations with local parishioners who are happy with our presence among them. We are involved in any number of activities  -- religion classes for children, visits to the sick and shut-ins, work with young people considering a vocation, marriage preparation, etc.

We have likewise just opened a ‘restaurant’ we call Compassion Place (‘a restaurant of the heart’). In the footsteps of our founder, Fr. d’Alzon, who was actively involved with the poor of his hometown, Nimes, we have been touched by the plight of many of our neighbors and have tried to find ways to be with them so that they do not feel abandoned by society. The motto of our new project is “Give them something to eat yourselves” (Mt 14:16). This word of Jesus to his disciples with regard to the crowd who had followed him and had brought nothing to eat with them in the wilderness is our source of inspiration.

The last day of the 33^rd General Chapter - PDF file

Assumption College has awarded Grace Clark ’19 a $3,500 Community Engagement Grant to travel to Uganda this summer, where she will explore her anticipated vocation of providing medical care to individuals in impoverished countries. Clark will travel to Uganda for the month of July as a participant in the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children’s (FIMRC) Summer Health Fellowship.

Clark, a biology major who has traveled to Haiti a number of times to volunteer at the Be Like Brit orphanage – most recently in December 2016 -- is discerning a vocation in medicine, with a focus on serving disadvantaged populations in the third world.

The grant was awarded through the College’s High-Impact Summer Grant Program through SOPHIA (SOPHomore Initiative at Assumption)--one of many Assumption programs created to reflect the College’s mission to form graduates known for critical intelligence, thoughtful citizenship, and compassionate service.

Serving in the Bududa community, located in the eastern part of Uganda, Clark will work in health clinics, conduct community outreach and home health visits and develop and deliver health education lessons as she explores the field of humanitarian medicine.

33^rd General Chapter of the Assumptionists - Day 18 - PDF file

33^rd General Chapter of the Assumptionists - Day 17 - PDF file

Team of lay people, engaged in the Assumption, invited to the General Chapter

33^rd General Chapter of the Assumptionists - Day 14 - PDF file

An international team of religious is at work each day to ensure the translation of the
exchanges/Conversations in English, Spanish and French.

33^rd General Chapter of the Assumptionists - Day 12^th - PDF file