Digodigo is found near the Kenyan border to the northwest of Arusha beyond Lake Natron and the Ngorongoro Crater

Assumption in Africa continues to grow in Tanzania. In response to a request from the archbishop of Arusha, Most Rev. Josaphat Lebulu, the Plenary General Council of the Congregation approved the opening of a new parish, St. Augustine’s, in Digodigo. The official inauguration took place in Digodigo this past August 28 on the feast of St. Augustine. Archbishop Lebulu presided the ceremony during this year that the Assumptionists are marking their 25^th anniversary in East Africa. Joining the archbishop were the regional superior, Fr. Simon Njuguna, the new pastor, Fr. Melchior Vanzwa, other Assumptionist confrères from Tanzania, some Oblate Sisters of the Assumption, who have communities nearby in Loliondo and Wasso, and many parishioners.

A darkened world of war and strife,
Where hate and poverty ran rife,
Awaited a Savior, announced of old,
To warm so many hearts grown cold.

He came but not as a king with power
Or as a bold, strong, and fearless leader;
He came to us simply as a newborn Child,
The Man-God and King, humble and mild.

Our world is again dark with evil and strife
Even as we remember his Birth and his Life.
Will we as disciples now dare to offer his Love
And share with all his Light from above?

A HAPPY AND HOLY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

December 25, 2014 Eugene LaPlante, A.A.

Fr. Marcel Uwineza, SJ

For the last “Conversations at the Center” for this semester, the community, residents and guests of the Assumptionist Center invited Fr. Marcel Uwineza, SJ to share his experiences of the Rwanda genocide and how it has shaped his faith journey and self-understanding as a priest.

He began by presenting a brief history of his country, the reality of the ethnic tribes living in peace before the advent of colonialism, the subsequent divisions that developed and the complexities that led up to the rebellion in 1990. The genocide of 1994 saw close to one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu die.

We can only imagine

The lonely trek

Of Mary and Joseph

To Bethlehem

Pope Francis meeting with the Assumptionist bishop of Istanbul, Bishop Pelâtre
Click here to see more pictures...

Although Pope Francis addressed the delicate issue of Muslim-Christian relations during his recent visit to Turkey in an attempt to foster greater understanding and tolerance, the main purpose of the historic visit was to meet Patriarch Bartholomew I in Constantinople now called Istanbul. What is significant is that this visit occurred in advance of an historic pan-orthodox Council that will take place again in Istanbul in 2016.

Patriarch Bartholomew is the spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians, whose Church broke with Rome in 1054 in a schism that divided the Christian world.

Mr. Vinnie Sullivan-Jacques, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry

(reprinted with permission from the student newspaper, Le Provocateur)

By Madeline McLean ‘16

“Reach out your hand if your cup be empty, if your cup is full may it be again, let it be known there is a fountain, that was not made by the hands of men.” The lyrics of the Grateful Dead’s song “Ripple” were recited by Vinnie Sullivan-Jacques during his talk on Monday September 29. These song lyrics helped, along with many other people and events, to shape Sullivan-Jacques’ path.

Participants in annual inter Assumption meeting of young religious (Oblates, AAs. Little Sisters of the Assumption, and Religious of the Assumption)

On the occasion of fifty years in Brazil, one of the four sisters who founded this mission recounts the major milestones of this adventure, from the beginnings to our day: a continuous presence in a country that suffered under a brutal dictatorship before stabilizing as an emerging power.  This mission was a commitment on the part of the Oblates to the marginalized at a time when the post-conciliar Church was calling for a preferential option for the poor.

By Sr. Marie de la Compassion Le Féron d’Eterpigny

(The Oblates of the Assumption were founded by Fr. d’Alzon in 1865 as missionaries to assist in the recently founded missions of the Near East – Bulgaria and Turkey. Next year they will be celebrating the 150^th anniversary of their founding.)

For many people, Thanksgiving is the most truly American of our national holidays, encompassing in its simple and beautiful traditions the highest  ideals and greatest aspirations of our country. We believe that these ideals include the need to give thanks to our Creator and so we pray:

O Loving God, your gifts to us are countless and your goodness is without limit. As we come in thanksgiving to You, teach us to use wisely the riches of land and sea and to be forever grateful for all the blessings which come from You. Open our hearts to notice the needs of others that we may give as freely as we have received from You.

With grateful hearts we also thank You this Thanksgiving Week for the many ways you sustain and nourish us, through the gift of life itself, our faith, family and friends with surprises of joy, growth and unconditional love. We make this prayer through Jesus Your Son and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.