Left to rigth: José Miguel Diaz, aa; Myriam Collon, lsa, Marie- Jeanne Masika Tasiviwe, or a; Anna Pagani, ra; Madeleine Kambumbu, oa; Sally Roddy, laity lsa; Mathilde Mbakaniaki, oa; Clére Miriam, ra; Sandra Durán, ra; Bernadette Mangan, lsa (translator); Carmen Chumillas,lsa; Viviane Sawadogo, ra; Pilar Trillo, lsa.

Paris, 1 February 2020

Dear sisters, brothers and friends:

From January 24th to 26th, 2020, we have gathered in the SIJPIC Assumption. The Augustinians of the Assumption, the Religious of the Assumption, the Oblates of the Assumption and the Little Sisters of the Assumption participated in this international meeting. Since last year, the Orantes of the Assumption have been participating in the meetings of the Secretariat; we hope that they will soon do so officially.

The world is on the move: migrants, refugees, displaced  persons. The welcome we give them (or not) calls into question our own humanity, as Pope Francis reminds us in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 29, 2019: "It is not only about migrants, it is also about our humanity.

The Assumption participates in this challenge. We have reflected together on this. We discovered the broad mission that our communities on the five continents are carrying out in this regard. And also the desire to go further.

We obtained the agreement of our General Councils to hold an Inter-Assumption Session from July 5-10, 2021: "A world on the move. Migrants-Refugees-Displaced Persons-Victims of Trafficking: a challenge for the Assumption today".

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You are also invited to participate in the Daily Mass online at worcesterdiocese.org

 The following can be prayed alone or with family members in your household.

 In the name of the Father,
and of the Son (+),
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

PENITENTIAL ACT
Brothers and sisters,
let us acknowledge our sins.

A brief pause for silence follows. Then all recite together the formula of general confession:

 I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray.

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we, who have been renewed by paschal remedies, transcending the likeness of our earthly parentage,
may be transformed in the image of our heavenly maker. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

READINGS (click for readings of the day)

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
That our Holy Father, bishops, priests and deacons
may continue to speak the word of God with boldness.
We pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.

That governments might seek paths
to mutual aid and collaboration.
We pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Easter Blessings!

Our Divine Mercy Sunday Mass on April 19 is at 10:00 AM at St. Anne Church live streamed on the St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish Facebook page. Follow this link for the live stream: St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish (Fiskdale MA). In addition, we will have our regular Drive-thru Confessions starting this Saturday, April 18 at 3:00 PM.

As the curtain rises on this famous Gospel scene, we find Cleopas and the other unnamed disciple walking away from Jerusalem in something of a daze. They’re unfocused, literally disoriented – walking away from the East, away from Jerusalem, away from the Resurrection.

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 The Easter Encounter - PDF file

Happy Easter!

Chances are the feelings that we associate with Easter this year are not the same as usual -  and there’s something unsettling about that. I’ve always been struck by the joy of Easter morning and how it insinuates its way into the hearts of the fervent and not so fervent alike. If it’s different this year, our isolation has much to do with that. In our Gospel this morning, Mary Magdalene upon seeing the empty tomb runs to Peter and John with the news which she could not keep to herself, even if its full meaning was not yet revealed. We see the same with the Blessed Mother’s intuition after the Annunciation to go immediately to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Good news is intended to be shared, we are helpless but want to let others know. Since this morning dawns with the very best news that our faith has to offer, at no moment in time do our empty churches seem quite so strange and so disorienting.

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As a public reminder of the power of the risen Christ to bring hope into our lives, particularly during this terrible pandemic, we will ring our church bells this Easter Sunday at noon in solidarity with other Catholic Churches and those of other denominations around our diocese and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. May our tolling bells be a call to offer a prayer of petition for God’s healing grace to those who are suffering and their caregivers and a call to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of eternal life to all believers on this Easter Sunday. (Since we have been ringing our Church bells regularly, the ringing of bells this Easter Sunday at noon will be dedicated for this intention.)

Fr. Alex Castro, A.A.

Happy Easter! Our Easter Sunday Mass on April 12 is at 10:00 AM at St. Anne Church live streamed on the St. Anne-St. Patrick Facebook page. You can pick up Holy Water (in small containers) blessed during the Easter Vigil Liturgy at St. Anne Church during the week.

Fr. Alex Castro, A.A.

“Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image!”

Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

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