PROGRESS OR ADVENT?

Here in the early 21st century we’re still a good deal more inclined to think in terms of “Progress” rather than in terms of “Advent.”  Despite the terrible experiences of the 20th century that ought to have sobered us up a bit, we still want to see ourselves as engaged in the great civilizational project of making the world “better”… by which we mean making ourselves more secure and comfortable as we build, restlessly, the vast social and technological systems we rely on now for just about everything.  John Locke, the English political thinker said it a long time ago:  our goal would be “comfortable self-preservation.”  It’s a low goal but one about which most people can agree and make “progress” toward it more or less, on into the future…so long as we don’t pause to think too much about it.

I heard that the temperature dropped to 27 degrees in New Hampshire on Thanksgiving Day. I guess that it wasn't much warmer on 'Black Friday' when some went shopping or continued to spend time with their loved ones. Even if it had been warmer, I wish we would have had that kind of "warm” here in Saigon. The rain early Thursday made the morning somewhat cooler. It was around 70 degrees in the morning, but it changed quickly and rose to 80 when the sun appeared  before anyone made it to their office at 7:30 AM.

I wanted to be with the community at the first moment of the day as they gather for mediation. Later, Dennis and I took a walk through the neighborhood. As we walked along the road, because Dennis could not hide who he is compared to me or other Vietnamese: short, slim, dark hair, etc., so people said hello to us when they saw us walking and we immediately became the topic for their conversation.

October marked the end of a yearlong, worldwide commemoration of the bicentennial of the birth of Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon, founder of the Augustinians of the Assumption. The College has joined the Assumptionists in celebrating this important anniversary in a variety of ways – liturgical celebrations, an academic conference, the publication of two volumes focusing on d’Alzon’s view of education and a pilgrimage, “In the Footsteps of Fr. d’Alzon,” to Paris, Nimes and Rome last May. Each of these events has given us an opportunity to come to a better appreciation of the man whose vision continues to inspire the mission of the College. The founding of Assumption College in 1904 realized Fr. d’Alzon’s dream of establishing a Catholic university that would be known for its excellence. For Fr. d’Alzon, education was a mission with one goal – to bring Christ into the lives and hearts of students, hence the motto of Assumption College, “…until Christ be formed in you.”

Here in Saigon the members of the scholastic community begin their day together in the chapel at 5:15 AM. That means that you have to take responsibility yourself to wake up. I told Dennis when we went to bed the first night here in Vietnam (VN) that he should not feel that he had to be there.

It was very hard to sleep the first night ---maybe because·I had been away for nine years and so much was going through my mind and heart. I went to bed around 3:30 AM hoping that I could sleep a little and I did. I woke up around 5. At that time,·one of the·priests, Fr. Peter Thang who·was going·out to celebrate Mass for another community, was very surprised when I greeted him in the morning. He kept say how sorry they were·for not picking us up at the airport.

Brother Dinh Vo Tran Gia, A.A.,  a Vietnamese Assumptionist who is a member of the Region of the United States, left for Vietnam on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 together with the regional superior, Father Dennis Gallagher, A.A. Bro Dinh had not been back to Vietnam since 2001. The Assumptionists founded the first community in Saigon in 2006 and now have three houses in Vietnam: a house of studies, a novitiate, and an orphanage. Fr. Dennis and Bro Dinh's trip had three goals: (1) to spend time in the three Assumptionist communities and to discuss potential educational ventures with Assumption College in Worcester, MA; (2) to visit the bishop of Dalat to thank him for his "gift" of Dinh to the Assumptionists; (3) to allow Dinh to see members of his family still living in Vietnam, especially his 96-year grandmother.

Dennis picked me up around 3:15 AM and we drove to Brighton where Br. Ron was waiting for us. We checked in around 4:30 smoothly in term of paper work. Dennis had a good seat from Boston to Los Angeles. However, from LA to Hong Kong and from Hong Kong to Vietnam, he had the same seat on the aisle. I think he did not have enough room, but it was okay.

All social bodies, as living realities, establish structures which guarantee their continued life and smooth functioning. Religious orders, small and large alike - and God knows how many there are - fall into this category and cannot escape this reality. Over the centuries, Rules which founders composed, rules which regulate religious life, foresee gatherings of different types.

The grasshoppers are the first thing I tell my friends and family about Chaparral.  About how when Emily and I walk through our backyard to get to the compost or the sheds where all the games and manualidades are stored, dozens of them jump without any predetermined idea about where they are going to land.  They move based on an intuitive sense of danger and react to the change by often changing more than they planned to.

The chapel of the Emmanuel d’Alzon Community of Kinshasa served as the venue for the Eucharistic celebration commemorating the 130th anniversary of Fr. d’Alzon’s entrance into eternal life, November 21, 1880. Gathered for the celebration were Assumptionists, Oblates of the Assumption, and lay associates, all of whom joined together in prayer on this festive occasion. The Mass, on this feast of Christ the King, began at 4 PM.

As a way of honoring the Founder of the Augustinians of the Assumption, Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon and concluding the bicentennial of his birth, Fr. Claude Grenache, A.A. led this month’s “Conversations At The Center” in Brighton, MA for the residents and guests. Developing the theme of “The Life and Charism of Venerable Emmanuel d’Alzon,” Fr. Claude began by situating the life of Fr. d’Alzon in its historical context of mid 19^th century France. This dramatically illustrated Fr. d’Alzon’s familial roots, the chaos of France’s post Revolution turmoil, as well as the challenges facing the Church at that time.

A Nobleman by birth, Fr. d’Alzon’s passionate love of Christ, His Mother and the Church led him to priesthood, serving as Vicar General of his diocese in Nimes for all of his life and as founder of the Augustinians of the Assumption.