The first of this semester's "Conversations at the Center," where we learn together in a place where we discover what it means to be Church, the theme addressed was CHRISTIAN FAMILY LIFE IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY. The community, residents and guests welcomed Basia and Tomek Sobolewski, a married couple from Worcester, MA, who just celebrated their 25^th Wedding Anniversary, to share their experiences of what being a Christian family means to them.

As parents of two adult daughters, Basia and Tomek, who were immigrants to the U.S. as young adults and met after arriving on our shores, spoke of the importance of respecting differences in each family member, with regard to one's growth in relationships, especially with God through prayer. Whereas Basia grew up in a more traditional expression of faith, Tomek lived his faith as a result of a more personal choice. When they married and became parents, the couple sought out a 'child friendly parish.'  Believing in the family as the domestic church, they, along with the support of a parish priest and a few other couples, formed a group who met regularly for prayer, faith sharing, social interaction and retreats. When asked about how they addressed family challenges and problems, they immediately responded with the importance of dealing with such situations prayerfully, humbly and promptly. They further recommended to the young men present, that the best way to prepare and approach marriage and parenthood was to be faithful to prayer and to themselves.

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Students from Across U.S., Puerto Rico Engage with College Faculty in Lectures on Politics, Literature and More

High school students from across the country and Puerto Rico visited Assumption College June 21-26, 2015, to explore the breadth of a liberal arts education in a college setting through the College’s Summer Foundations Program.

For five days, both on campus and through visits to culturally significant sites in Boston, the 28 students took part in college-level lectures on subjects ranging from philosophy to politics to literature to art history and theology—all taught by Assumption faculty. They also engaged in discussions facilitated by Assumption alumni, who acted as teaching assistants, about ancient Greece and Rome and how the two have influenced the development/evolution of United States and the modern world. These lessons were supplemented by visits to several sites of historical and cultural interest that helped provide real-life context to their lessons. To complete the “college immersion” experience, the students lived in the Assumption residence hall.

September 28,  Lyon, France

«You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You!» Saint Augustine

Fr. Benoît Gschwind, Provincial of the Assumptionists of Europe, his community and his family, wish to inform you of the death of Fr. Jean-Paul PERIER-MUZET, an Assumptionist priest, on September 27, 2015 in Lyon, France.

His funeral will be held on Wednesday, September 30, in the Assumptionist chapel in Valpré, 1, chemin de Chalin in Écully. Interment will take place at the cemetery of Miribel-les-Échelles in the Assumptionist lot.

Faithful disciple of Christ, Jean-Paul was a true son of Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon. He dedicated the better part of his life revealing so many dimensions of the wealth of Fr. d'Alzon's person, writings, and spirituality.

THE ASSUMPTIONIST CENTER...

a place where we learn together,
a place where we discover what it means to be Church.

In order to help that happen, we need to think and talk together.

And so, we are happy to announce this semester’s

CONVERSATIONS AT THE CENTER

on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015

Christian Family Life in Contemporary Society

“As I was listening, I was thinking how important it is for us to share our home life and to help one another in this marvelous and challenging task of ‘being a family’.”
Pope Francis at the Prayer Vigil for the Festival of Families, Philadelphia, Sept 26, 2015

At this conversation, we are delighted to have Basia and Tomek Sobolewski, a married couple from Worcester, MA, share their experiences of what being a Christian family means to them.

Marked by a golden jubilee and a renewal of vows, our community of Emmanuel House (Nairobi) really rejoiced. Father Gilles Blouin (Canadian), a missionary in Kenya and a member of the community, was celebrating the 50^th anniversary of his profession in the congregation.

Four brothers: Blaise, Emile, Jean-Claude and Fabrice also had the opportunity to renew their vows. The ambience in the community was so one of great joy.

The Mass started in the evening, at 6 PM. It was presided over by Father Gilles, the jubilarian. He was surrounded by 6 priests, three Assumptionists, one Montfortian, and two Pallotines. In his homily, Father Gilles, focused on love: God is love. We should also mention the presence of the Religious of the Assumption and the Oblates of the Assumption. Many other religious from the neighborhood attended the celebration as well.

Posted By The Catholic Free Press

By Tanya Connor

She grew up in a large family in Worcester and spent years in leadership among her fellow religious. Last week she began a new ministry – as liaison between them and the bishop.
She is Sister Cathleen Toomey, a Sister of Mercy of the Americas. She entered the congregation in a house once part of the Underground Railroad. She wouldn’t stay long, figured her father, who sometimes received late-night calls from the bishop – thanks to his four teenaged daughters. She was the second pursuing religious life, not as serious as her older sister. As Sister Cathleen puts it, “I majored in fun” in school.
But decades later, in this Year of Consecrated Life, Bishop McManus has appointed her Episcopal Liaison to Religious for the Diocese. She is to “maintain a bond” between him and “members of religious institutes and other forms of consecrated life.”

LSA Family Health Service Welcomes Pope Francis to East Harlem

A family will represent the agency at the blessing at Our Lady Queen of Angels and paper flowers made by LSA mothers will be displayed at the school

September 9, 2015 – LSA Family Health Service, founded by the Little Sisters of the Assumption, is proud to join Catholic Charities of New York in welcoming Pope Francis to New York City.

The Garcia family – Martina Juárez, her husband Manuel Garcia, two of their children and their grandson – has been invited to represent LSA and its work in the community, at Pope Francis' reception and blessing at the Our Lady Queen of Angels school in East Harlem on September 25th. They will be among approximately 200 guests, mostly immigrants and refugees served by Catholic Charities of New York, attending the reception. The family has been a recipient of services from LSA Family Health Service for over 10 years and has benefited from the food pantry, advocacy services, early childhood programs and education programs.

See press  coverage, learn more about the Juárez-Garcia family.

Additionally, 225 paper flowers made by mothers at LSA will be on display as centerpieces for the tables at the reception.

“For over 50 years, we have been carrying out the mission of our founders, the Little Sisters of the Assumption, to uplift the most vulnerable among us,” said Traci Lester, CEO of LSA Family Health Service.  “We are honored to welcome Pope Francis to East Harlem, and to share with him our commitment to serving our neighbors.”

From July 30 to August 27, Assumptionist Brothers Paul and Ryan led a book group through The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis.  Meeting at St. Anne's & St. Patrick's Parish in Fiskdale, the group, which also included parishoners from nearby parishes, numbered around thirty people. We met on Thursday evenings despite the August heat.

The Great Divorce is a dream of the afterlife.  After death the characters in this story board a bus for heaven.  Before getting there, they meet others they had known in the life before.  In the ensuing conversations the reader is led to discover the importance of choices, which move us either closer or further from the Lord.  What keeps us from heaven is selfishness.  What helps us get there is consenting to the Lord's desire to purify us and prepare our hearts for heaven, a process that is not comfortable at first but, as Lewis points out, marks the beginning of lasting joy.