To begin this article, it is helpful to recall some key characteristics of Father d’Alzon, born in Vogan in 1810. The family motto, “Deo Dati” – “Given to God” – and that of his congregation, “Thy Kingdom Come”, urge us to work for the coming of the Kingdom of Christ within us and in the world (Rule of Life, 13). Likewise, the Assumption was founded in the 19th century in Nîmes, southern France, by Father Emmanuel d’Alzon, who chose the Rule of Saint Augustine for his religious family, giving rise to the name Augustinians of the Assumption.
To make grateful memory of Father d’Alzon’s anniversary is to trust in God, who continues to communicate his message of salvation to humanity. We too are called to be drawn by the passion of Christ and to work for the extension of his Kingdom, sustained by the hope that led him to live in continual self-gift for others.
At the same time, prayer was one of his strengths in caring for his community. In Mary, faithful disciple of Christ, he discovered the grace of living in humility and allowing himself to be guided by the Word of God. This confirms that it is within the inner silence of each person that God continues his work of redemption; such was the experience of Father d’Alzon, who made of his life a path of solidarity, strengthened by his steadfast gaze on Christ until the completion of his mission on earth.
The service he offered to the Church enabled him to guide and educate generations of souls. His pastoral work was a continual praise of God, a path of communion with the Church and dialogue with those who had the grace of knowing him. His intimate union with Christ gave him the strength to share wisdom and to found a Congregation inspired by an authentic Christian spirit. His passion for Christ and for the Kingdom cultivated dialogue, unity and communication within the People of God.
In this sense, Father Emmanuel d’Alzon knew how to trust others and place the person at the center, valuing the potential within each one. He wrote to Mother Marie-Eugénie: “Do what you believe most perfect”, not as a form of self-centered perfectionism but as a passion that leads the human person to find God in all things. He discovered in his communities the goodness that liberates and opens the way to inner freedom.
In another letter to Mother Marie-Eugénie, he encouraged her: “Be perfect – your heart will tell you the rest.” His path was to walk under the gaze of God, seeking in all things to fulfill His will. A man of faith and profound prudence, fruit of an intimate relationship with his Creator, he remained available to build a more fraternal world, free from selfishness and indifference. We, Religious of the Assumption, are likewise called to let God continue shaping our clay, so that the mission entrusted to us may bear abundant fruit and help each person become a witness of God’s mercy (cf. Jas 2:17).
Sr. Claudia Marilú Núñez
Province of Central America-Cuba
Fuentes bibliográficas:
https://assumpta.org/es/archivos-s-xix/s-xix/estudios-de-archivos-4-maria-eugenia-y-el-padre-d-alzon
https://www.assumptio.org/es/ser-asuncionista