San Andrés Parish in Mexico City marked the Feast of St. Andrew, their patron saint, with profound devotion. The celebration was preceded by a nine-day novena in which the community decorated the entire church with flowers and gathered each evening for Mass. This shared period of prayer prepared everyone spiritually for the feast on November 30.
Welcome to this edition of our newsletter, now bearing a new name BANAAG. Meaning ‘glimmer’ or ‘first light of dawn,’ it aims to shine a light on the life, mission, charism, and stories of our Assumptionist community.
On this penultimate day of our PGC, the Secretary General gives us feedback on the meeting of provincial secretaries held at the General House last October. This meeting was a first in the memory of the religious and was very fruitful in everyone’s opinion!
The second part of the day was devoted to the work planned to update the congregation’s own liturgical calendar and publish supplements to the missal and the liturgy of the hours—proper of the congregation—in our three official languages.
Early on Sunday morning, a delegation of nine PGC members flew to Namur (Belgium) to testify to our Assumptionist fraternity to Bishop Fabien Lejeusne on the day of his episcopal ordination. Indeed, if he had not been appointed bishop by the Holy Father, Fr. Fabien would have been in Rome with us these days, like all the Provincial Superiors of the Congregation.
The morning of this fifth day of the PGC was devoted to questions of formation, beginning with the report of the Secretary General for Formation (SGF).
Since the last General Chapter, the General Secretariat for Formation (made up of the SGF, the (vice)provincial formators, and usually extended to include the formators of the vicariates) has been meeting regularly by videoconference.
On October 6, 2025, the Assumptionist community received news that resonated across continents: Father Fabien Lejeusne, A.A., former Superior of the European Province, was appointed Bishop of Namur, Belgium, by Pope Leo XIV. This moment marks a milestone in the life of our congregation—a moment filled with gratitude, pride, and renewed hope. It is a reminder of how the mission and charism of the Assumptionists continue to bear fruit in the wider Church.
“These are the values that the Chapter wishes to promote at the heart of our community organization: interdependence, solidarity, subsidiarity, transversality…” GC 2025 No. 87
To implement these values, which were reiterated by our last General Chapter, we first continued to share news from the Provinces, starting with Brazil and North America.
The Festival of Lessons and Carols is one of the most beloved holiday traditions at Assumption University. All are welcome and parking will be available in the lot adjacent to the Chapel.
Friday, December 5th at 7:30pm
Chapel of the Holy Spirit
On this Wednesday, we continue our work in a smaller configuration: the members of the Ordinary General Council, the leaders of the seven (Vice-)Provinces, and the three Territorial Vicars. Throughout the day, we take the time to listen to news about life in our Provinces since the last PGC.
The second day shared by the CEC (Congregation Economic Council) and the CGP (General Plenary Council) was once again devoted to temporal issues through three major topics.
We first focused on studying the 2026 budget for interprovincial solidarity for formation.
You’re Invited to the Emmanuel House Dedication Ceremony!
Join us for a special celebration on November 22, 2024, from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM at Emmanuel House, 512 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA.
We’ll mark the completion of the Emmanuel House renovation with:
All are welcome to stay for the 5:00 PM Mass and Evening Prayer in the Chapel.
RSVP by November 15 at 617-783-0400 or via email at info@assumption.us
We look forward to celebrating this exciting milestone with you!
Directions:
Emmanuel House, 512 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609.