From July 27-31,  2015, thirty Assumptionist religious are meeting at the shrine of Lourdes here in Santiago and reflecting on the theme, "Consecrated Life and Assumptionist Life Today". These religious belong to the Andean Province which includes Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. Within the group, many nationalities are represented (Argentinians, Chileans, Colombians, and Ecuadorians, to be sure, but also others from France and Mexico. There is also a large contingent from the Democratic Republic of the Congo involved both in pastoral work and theological studies.

Two assistants general traveled to Chile specifically to participate in this encounter, Fr. John Franck (American), who has particular responsibility for South America, and Marcel Marciel (Chilean), whose responsibilities include Madagascar and the Near Eastern Mission. Both reside in Rome.

In what does the reflection of this assembly consist? Observing, reflecting, and seeking out new or renewed ways to live the consecrated life in Latin America today. Then, there will be an opportunity to recommend detailed ways to adapt these reflections in the four countries of the province within the Assumptionist charism. The reflection will consist in judging what it is we wish to keep or initiate and what we do not.  The Assumptionists of the Andean Province are responsible for many parishes, five schools, two Marian shrines, and two religious publications of a popular nature (“Auras de Lourdes” in Buenos Aires and “El Eco de Lourdes” in Chile).

The documents we have been working on have been written and translated, proposals have been announced, the evaluation completed.... In the room where the session took place, the photos which decorated it have been taken down, the microphones arranged, and participants  followed one after other with their memory sticks to copy everything possible. Yes, we finish the session, and an atmosphere of relaxation can be felt, everything has been accomplished, and a certain sadness: we have created something beautiful together and now it is time to say goodbye.

INTERNATIONAL FORMATION SESSION WEEK II

July 22, 2015 - Nairobi, Kenya

Now that the second week has already begun, we, the participants in the international session at Nairobi, are busy with the key convictions which inspire us: sharing them, taking notes, summarizing in groups, presenting to the assembly... It is as if we were at a Provincial or Congregational Chapter!

Our efforts are concentrated on six themes in three languages: 1 - Contemplative life and the experience of God. 2 – Community life and interculturality. 3 – Leadership and personal responsibility. 4 – Apostolic life: mission and work for the Kingdom. 5 – Ongoing formation, studies, integration, re-reading. 6 – The economic dimension of our life and solidarity. If all goes well, in several days we will be able to share this work with you...

After a year of preparation and expectation, on Friday, July 10, a group of teenagers from two Assumptionist high schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Instituto San Román and Instituto Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, left for Assumption College in  Worcester, some 50 kilometers from Boston.

It was a long trip, with a stopover in Houston, before arriving Saturday afternoon at Logan Airport in Boston. 

Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Estrada imposes hands on Brother Roberto Reyes Delgadillo, A.A., ordaining him a priest for the service of the Church.

July 18, 2015

 Our Lady, Empress of the Americas, Mexico City

Turning fifty in the summer of 2015, I’m married, with five children, aged 19 to 27.  I have a master degree from the Institut Supérieur du Commerce in Paris, with a specialty in marketing.  Fluent in English, I have more than 20 years of professional experience in journalism, book publishing, and multimedia, in regional and international organizations, as commercial director, responsible for marketing and subsequently director of marketing and communication for a number of different products in a business to business and business to consumer environment, and finally as Managing Director.

Since 2007, I have been General Secretary for Bayard Europe and Managing Director of Bayard’s 3 Belgian subsidiaries.

On a more personal note, I am involved in an organization that cares for the sick and the underprivileged.  I jog, play tennis, and love reading and enology.

1. My vision for Bayard in North America for the next few years

Bayard is an organization that, because of a deep connection to its readers, seeks to give meaning to life:  written and illustrated content, transmitted by various media, printed, digital and televised, makes it possible for each person to think about himself, about others, and about the society and the world around him, regardless of distances and differences.

Nairobi, Kenya

The first three days of our session have been a remarkably enriching experience, with many opportunities to get to know each other, to pray together, and, of course, to work together.

Each of the five congregations of the Assumption Family has shared the key features of the origins of its congregation and its specific charism. Religious of the Assumption, Augustinians of the Assumption, Oblates of Assumption, Little Sisters of the Assumption, and Orants of the Assumption ---- such a wealth of common history and shared zeal for the Kingdom of God and the transformation of society. Although we had read about each congregation for the session, the history has come to life through the presentations, discussions, and, perhaps above all, through the personal encounters of these days.

On July 11^th, 2015, two Assumptionist brothers, Ai Joseph Nguyen Chi and Gaston Mumbere Ndaleghana, were ordained priests by the laying on of hands of Cardinal Lacroix,, the Archbishop of Quebec.

The Liturgy of Ordination took place at the Montmartre Canadien in Quebec City. A Vietnamese and a Congolese choir added to the international flavor of the celebration. The Superior General, the Provincial and the Territorial delegate, as well as a number of Assumptionists from as far away as Budapest and Rome made the A.A. presence especially noteworthy.

Please hold our two newest priests in your prayers, as well as Brother Roberto Reyes Delgadillo who will be ordained in Mexico on July 19^th.

When life turns you upside down, she’s the calm voice who lets you know it’s going to be OK

The street corner outside these fourth-story classroom windows has a sign that bears her name, and it will surprise no one if someday this bright building on Dudley Street does, too.

But that is no concern now. It’s Monday morning and Sister Margaret Leonard is sitting before seven confident and focused women in a job-training session at Project Hope headquarters in Roxbury, doing what she’s done all her life.She listens. She encourages. She sparks conversation. She smiles. She inspires.“This is why we’re here, because of people like you,’’ the Roman Catholic nun tells the women, each bearing a stick-on tag that carries not her name but the characteristic she hopes soon captures the attention of an employer. Strength. Respect. Confidence. Committed. Ambitious. Empathetic.

They are all adjectives that aptly describe the 78-year-old religious sister who for 30 years has led Project Hope, a nonprofit, multiservice agency. She will surrender that post, the capstone of a remarkable career, sometime later this year, leaving a legacy she began building a lifetime ago when she left her home in Everett to work among the poor.