First Things First…..    a very special word of appreciation to Fr. Dinh for the attentiveness, personal presence and fraternal care he has shown for Leo over these last couple of years….     It’s been tremendous….  In the name of all the brothers in the province, thank you very much.   Thanks also to the community and the staff at Old English Road and the staff at St. Francis Home who took good care of Leo during these recent years of declining health.

I’d like to zero in on two moments in Leo’s life as an Assumptionist….. I’m going to call them his Macedonian moment and his Emmaus moment.    The Macedonian moment is an allusion to the vision that St. Paul received on his second missionary journey of a man in Macedonia standing and begging him.
“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  In response to that vision, Paul redirected the course of his journey, and the evangelization of the continent of Europe had begun.

In the late 1980’s, a call went out from Claude Marechal, our superior general at the time, to solicit help for the first foundation in Asia.  From throughout the whole congregation, Leo was the first  to respond.  “I haven’t even spoken to my provincial about this, Leo wrote.”    Imagine going over the head of your provincial that way.   When you think of the growth of the Assumption that has taken place in Asia since that Macedonian moment, it’s no small thing to say that Leo was the first to throw his hat into the ring.

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The leadership of Institut d'Alzon in Nimes (in particular Mrs. Virginie Cote, and Mr. Yvan Lachaud), the Oblates Sisters of the Assumption, and the Assumptionists extended a warm welcome to the group and were involved in all the visits of companies and tourist sites in the Nimes region as well as the visit to Le Vigan (where Father d'Alzon was born) and the Lavagnac Castle where he spent most of his childhood. We could not have such a successful trip without their help. Professor Eric Drouart - March 2019

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From Blair on his trip

Starting another day here in Mexico City! I am here for a travel seminar about Guadalupe for the next ten days. After, I will also be visiting our Assumptionist communities here and will work on a Stations of the Cross painting project, or "co-mission."

This Guadalupe course will consider the contextual dynamics of power and agency that contributed to the establishment of Our Lady of Guadalupe as a powerful symbol for diverse communities across chronological and geographical boundaries. Students will explore narratives, rituals, faith practices, and historical sites in relation to particular communities where the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe serves as a powerful symbolic resource in the struggles of marginalized communities.

Father Dennis Gallagher, A.A., Provinvial Superior of the North American Province shares a Lenten Message as we approach the beginning of the season of Lent.

As we begin the season of Lent, let us pray with St Paul: "We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him."  (2 Cor. 5:20-24)

I. The story of the OA Mission in Rwanda and the Remembrance of the 1992 event

The Oblates of the Assumption - Religious Missionaries were established in Rwanda in 1981, responding to the call of the Church through the voice of Bishop RUZINDANA, Bishop of Byumba who needed nuns for catechetical formation, vocational formation (sewing and culinary arts for women and girls out of school) and the care of the sick (in a dispensary).

From1990 a current of rebellion began in the mountainous regions, protesting against the government of Juvenal HABYARIMANA who had been in power since 1973. Guerrillas sowed terror in the villages and many victims were massacred throughout the years 91-93. They aimed at overthrowing those in power. Many of those displaced, fleeing the insecurity surrounding the area, were flocking to the mission where our sisters were at the service of all without distinction of religion or ethnicity: care of the wounded - supervision of raped women - care of malnourished children. Sister Renée Guido Poppa, who had come to assist the sisters for a year, was a consolation for these refugees. It was in these conditions that a battalion of rebels rushed to the dispensary and the convent on the night of 25 to 26 February 1992. Tragedy struck our community: Sister Renée GUIDO POPPA and Francoise NYIRAGENDO (post mortem postulant) were killed by rebels who spread terror in Byumba Region.

With all our brothers and sisters of the Assumption family, as well as the laity with whom we journey; we would like to celebrate the memory of Sr. René Guido Poppa and give thanks for the gift of her life given to the service of the Kingdom and to the brothers and sisters beyond the borders.

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