During two very fraternal days in Auteuil, on June 25 and 26, 2025, 23 members of the general councils of the Religious, Oblates, Little Sisters, Orantes, and Augustinians of the Assumption set their sights on possible collaborations for the coming years.
Our very convivial, prayerful, and fraternal meeting was organized in three parts. First, there was an updated presentation of each of our congregations, as well as the fruits and projects related to our latest general chapters. Then there was a time of spiritual conversation focusing on the contributions of the Assumption family to the world and to the Church (already present and/or to be enriched). Finally, we discussed common projects, experiences to share, and possible ways to help one another.
The first spiritual conversation brought out some very convergent convictions. Fundamentally, it is a matter of nurturing our roots in Jesus Christ and in the Word of God, as well as the contemplative dimension of our charisms, in order to be witnesses of joy, hope, and peace. Furthermore, our religious family must be an ever greater sign of dialogue and complementarity (men, women, lay people) in the face of a divided and inward-looking world. In this way, our fraternity (international, intercultural, intergenerational...) can happily contribute to the building of a universal fraternity. We are also convinced that our charisms are highly relevant to the challenges of our time (cf. the trilogy "Unity, Truth, Charity"). We must therefore reappropriate them, but also embody them in an updated and inventive way, with our lay friends, with our riches and our fragilities, in response to the new realities of our time. Finally, we wish to become more aware of our interdependence in the Assumption and to develop our collaborations. Some of these simply need to be continued (lay people, formation, JPIC, etc.), but other "areas" remain to be invented (with a view to greater missionary dynamism, for example).
A report summarizing the many concrete suggestions for collaboration will be communicated separately. Allow me to mention here just the five major themes that caught our attention: How can we help each other move forward toward ever more fruitful interculturality? In the face of demographic and geographic changes in our congregations, what support is available to help us adapt and transform our modes of governance? But also, with a view to deepening, re-reading, and transmitting our charisms and our histories, what tools, what riches, what know-how can we share? Finally, what new areas of collaboration can we suggest and encourage? What resources can we pool to support each other in the face of our weaknesses? (in the areas of formation, finance, archives, secretarial work, etc.)
Our assembly was therefore very fruitful in terms of mutual understanding and avenues opened up for possible collaboration. The double challenge we now face is, on the one hand, to better share this desire for collaboration and mutual aid with all our brothers, sisters, and lay people in the Assumption family and, on the other hand, to make it effective by encouraging and promoting all possible initiatives to give substance to the avenues discussed during this meeting. We have set a date for January 13 and 14, 2027, hoping to reap the fruits of this year's exchanges... and more!
For the coordination team,
Fr. Benoît Bigard, A.A.