After we closed the communities of Cáceres in 2003 and Almería in 2005, the members of the Province felt that we were concentrating our forces too much in the Madrid area. Given this reality and the arrival of Congolese brothers to work with us, we thought it advisable to open ourselves to new horizons. After the various communities discussed the matter as well as the Council of the Province, we decided in August 2009 to name a committee of 4 religious together with the provincial to look for a site within another diocese where we had never been before.

There are 27 million single Catholics in the United States, and not all of them are recent college graduates or young professionals.  Some are widowed or divorced.  Some are single parents.  And not all who are single are actively searching for spouses.  It is important to address Catholic singles of all ages and stages in their personal faith journeys, and Tobias, the magazine for single Catholic living, does just that.

Bayard U.S. is pleased to add Tobias to its portfolio of Catholic periodicals. This magazine offers inspiration for single Catholics in a fresh and contemporary way. Typical topics include singles who dare to make a difference, faith at work, and personal stories of courtship and marriage.

From humorous quotes to heartwarming articles, Tobias strives to provide everything the Catholic single is looking for.  “Tobias editor Christina Capecchi has her finger on the pulse of the community of single Catholics in the U.S.,” said Bayard President and CEO Bret Thomas.  “We believe that this audience deserves a high caliber magazine of their own to help them navigate the challenges of living a Catholic life in a secular culture.”

On Friday January 14, 201  at Assumption College, Dr. Glen Arbery, the sixth occupant of the d'Alzon Chair in Liberal Studies led the fourth annual Assumption Day reflection, focusing on St. Augustine and Beauty. The talk itself was, appropriately, such a beautiful thing that the medium became the message.

We were in a traveling rhythm by today. No sooner had we unpacked our bags than we were packing them again and on the move.

It was gong to be very hard to leave my grandmother, my uncle and his family in just a few hours. It had been so long that we hadn’t seen each other and there wasn't enough time to visit and catch up. We just enjoyed each other's and that was enough for us. When I opened my eyes this morning that was the first thing that came to my mind.

(the following is a letter sent by Fr. Michel Kubler, AA, superior of the new community, to his friends)

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the many wonderful responses I received from the first letter I sent out four months ago. The new year presents a perfect opportunity to bring you up to date  on what has been happening.

Although I was supposed to arrive in Bucharest on September 14, 2010,  I decided to come a day early because of the death of Fr. Bernard Stef. This Assumptionist was an esteemed figure in the Greco-Catholic Church (Oriental rite) to which he remained faithful in spite of some of the worst persecutions. I wanted to try my best to be present at his funeral, and it was a powerful symbol that my new community was united for the first time to bid farewell to this older brother of ours who left us at the very moment our house in Bucharest was being reborn. If you believe in signs, well, the day of my arrival in Romania was the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, which filled me with the conviction that it was the right time to be turning the page on my former life, my 20 years at a newspaper (La Croix) of the same name. The following day - therefore, my first full day in our new house - the Catholic Church celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, under whose patronage the Assumptionist mission in Eastern Europe, to which I am now committed to serve, has been placed.

As we come to the close of our celebrations of the bicentennial of the birth of our founder, Venerable Emmanuel d'Alzon, Cardinal Jean-Louis TAURAN, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue honored us with a visit to the general house in Rome on December 18th. This close collaborator of Pope Benedict XVI presided at the Eucharist that day.

During his homily, he reminded us of this thought from Blaise Pascal:·“Apart from Jesus-Christ we know nothing about life, nor about death, nor who God is or who we are for that matter.”

The retreats at Assumption have become an integral part of Campus Ministry at Assumption and a meaningful experience for the students who choose to participate in them. The mission of the retreat program is to provide student-centered opportunities for faith development that take place in a communal environment. The retreats are intended to encourage reflection on one’s self and one’s relationship with God, while helping to nurture new relationships among retreatants.  In my ten years at Assumption, I have seen these retreats fulfill their mission time and time again.

On Sunday, January 2, 2011, in the late afternoon, in the Assumptionist parish of Santa Ana in Rengo (Chile), two   young men made their first vows, Fabián Guzmán Neves (Colombian) and Juan José Antunes (Brazilian). Very Rev. Juan Carlos Cisterna, the provincial of Chile-Argentina accompanied by Very Rev. Luiz Carlos de Oliveira, provincial of Brazil, presided at the Mass.