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Sr. Diana Opens Assumption Together Congress, August 4, 2010

The First International Congress of Assumption Together took place in León, Spain, from August 4 - 8, 2010.

All the provinces of the Religious of the Assumption were represented [24 countries], including Sr. Clare Teresa, RA and Ron and Maria Day who went in the name of the Sisters and Friends of the Assumption in the USA.

Below is the introductory address given by Sr. Diana Wauters, our Superior General.

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It is my joy to welcome you here today for the Assumption-Together International Congress!

One of the objectives of the Congress (CGP 2008) is to deepen the charism of Assumption Together. So what is a charism? In brief a charism is the service or work of a group, institution, congregation in the Church: Our charism is education. So we’re here to deepen our understanding of our mission in the Church and in society.

We’re here from many different countries. We’re like many associations, organizations and corporations today: Global, complex, multicultural, international. The Catholic Church is of course one of the oldest international organizations in the world, but it distinguishes itself by also proclaiming its universality. Catholic means universal which in turn means being open to the world in its diversity. It implies exchanges and reciprocity.1

Many international corporations try to establish monopolies. But we are here today with a simple conviction: Religious DO NOT have a monopoly on the Assumption charism or spirituality. It is a gift for the whole Church. Gratefully received by lay and religious alike, Assumption values as well as ways of being and doing are lived out in diversity along many different lines: cultural, socio-economic, vocational and even different religions.

During these days together we will celebrate the meaning of this gift for ourselves and those around us. We celebrate the vitality of Marie Eugenie’s heritage which continues to stimulate and welcome the generosity of Christians as well as persons of other Faiths. Marie Eugenie’s philosophy and passion continue to mobilize for the Good, for Truth and change for a better world.

We will feel the urgency of finding the words and the ways of rendering Jesus Christ and the Kingdom intelligible and tangible to the seven billion inhabitants of our planet today. Certainly the conference on Challenges and Hopes for Today’s World will help us in this sense.

In the national congress of Assumption-Together in Manila, Philippine-Thailand Province, the identity of Assumption-Together took on new dimensions. Spontaneously we began to see ourselves not only as a religious-lay partnership, but as communion between many different socio-economic and cultural groups. My hope for this congress is that together we will sharpen even more our vision of who we are: our identity and our mission.

Before continuing talking about identity, I’d like to give a brief explanation of how an identity is formed. An identity is forged from an attachment to someone or something of the past that serves as a reference for today. In our case it is St. Marie Eugenie de Jesus and her spirituality, her way of understanding her mission in society and in the Church. She’s a reference for us today. Sr. Helene B’s talk on the Key Elements of the Charism can contribute to our understanding of and attachment to Marie Eugenie.

Her spirituality is also dear to us. What is a “spirituality”? In brief, spirituality is a way of living in relationship with God. Within the Christian tradition, all spiritualities, no matter what their origins, have the same focus – the desire for union with God, an emphasis on love and charity, and a belief in Jesus as the Son of God. But each spirituality emphasizes different aspects of the tradition – one accents the contemplative life, another the active life. This one emphasizes joy, this one freedom, this one awareness, this one sacrifice, this one service to the poor. The Round Table discussion: Living the Contemplative and Active Dimensions of the Charism and Sr. Mercedes’ presentation: Joyous Detachment: A Challenge and An Opportunity will give us some insights into our Assumption spirituality.

The second element of an identity is the consciousness of belonging to an “us.” Those of us who attended the canonization had a strong experience of belonging to the Assumption when in the streets of Vatican City after the ceremony we met and greeted people from many different countries because we saw them wearing the yellow and white scarf. Our hearts were filled with joy and yes, why not admit it, pride, as members of the Assumption family. Our identity comes to us from without and from within. The whole experience of this congress in Madrid will surely reinforce our sense of belonging.

The third element of identity is having a common goal “project”, going in the same direction, sharing a common horizon. On Sunday, Future Steps will direct us towards that future.

These three poles, memory, belonging and goal show us the importance of tradition and history, customs and rites, and lastly the horizon that we give to ourselves.2 Returning to the source, to the intuitions of the foundation and founders are indispensable to assume the present and work for a future.3

And now for how I see the work of this congress. We work with the foundations of a tradition, a history, a strong founding person, a sense of belonging and a growing sense of mission and responsibility. In this congress I’d like us to look for “our language.” Our way of speaking and thinking about ourselves, our convictions, and our vision that is adapted to our times. It is also a way of affirming our difference with regards to other groups, other spiritualities. Having a grammar “a language” assures continuity and change at the same time.4 It allows us to be rooted and relevant at the same time. If tradition isn’t a “grammar” but an (invariable) legacy, it doesn’t allow us to respond to the challenges of our world. 5

To end this introduction, we will listen to two different songs written by Assumption laity. In them I found “a grammar” – a particularly beautiful way of expressing our identity, our spirituality: Assumption Together.

The first one, “Si” is almost universally recognized as the theme song of the canonization. It expresses key elements of our tradition: love of our earth, our world, our times as well as a singular focus on God’s Glory.

The second one, “Boats of Many Colors” contains another element of our “grammar”: internationality and solidarity. It was the theme song at the National Congress in the Philippine-Thailand Province. It sings of transformative education, friendship, embracing diversity and creating a heaven on earth.

Let’s enjoy listening to them together as we prepare to enter into the International Congress of Assumption-Together.

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1 Lavigne, Jean Claude. Pour qu’ils aient la vie en abundance.p.242 Cerf 2010

2 Ideas on identity are taken from Jean-Claude Lavigne’s book Pour qu’ils aient la vie en abundance.
3 Lavigne, Jean Claude. Pour qu’ils aient la vie en abundance.p.88 Cerf 2010

4 Idem. p 99
5 Idem. p.99

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For more information, visit the Assumption Together website.

Check out the "How You Can Become a Friend" page of this website.

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