Assumptionists

The Augustinians of the Assumption (A.A.) constitute a congregation of Catholic brothers in France. It was active in many countries. The French branch played a major role in French political and social history in the 19th century.

It was founded in Nîmes, southern France, by Fr. Emmanuel d'Alzon in 1845, initially approved by Rome in 1857 and definitively approved in 1864 (the Constitutions were approved in 1923). The current Rule of Life of the congregation draws its inspiration from that of St. Augustine of Hippo.

This international congregation is present in nearly 30 countries throughout the world, with the most recent foundations being established in 2006 in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Togo. The congregation has long been involved in education, the press, ecumenism, pilgrimages, and the missions. In the 1870s, religious launched several magazines which have, over the years, expanded into one of the largest Catholic publishing houses in the world, Bayard Presse, which publishes the award-winning daily French newspaper, La Croix, and more than 100 magazines in 15 languages (in English its best known publication is Catholic Digest). In 1873 these religious also began a series of large-scale pilgrimages both within France and to the Holy Land which developed into such current endeavors as the popular national pilgrimage to Lourdes every year on the occasion of the feast of the Assumption, gathering thousands of pilgrims.

In addition to the Assumptionists, a number of other congregations belong to the larger Assumption Family: The Religious (Sisters) of the Assumption, the Oblates (Missionary Sisters) of the Assumption, the Little Sisters of the Assumption, the Orantes of the Assumption, the Sisters of St. Joan of Arc, the Brothers of the Assumption, the Little Sisters of the Presentation of Our Lady, the Missionary Sisters of the Assumption, and the Sisters of the Cross.

The congregation was founded by Fr. Emmanuel d'Alzon (1810-1880), vicar general of the diocese of Nîmes, on Christmas evening 1845 in Nîmes. This priest, born in Le Vigan on August 30, 1810, received his initial formation in the major seminary of Montpellier (1832-1833) which he completed with high-ranking Churchmen as his tutors in Rome. A student of Félicité de Lamennais, he broke with his former mentor but remained marked by several of his intuitions. A generous and productive apostle, he launched numerous pastoral initiatives in the diocese of Nîmes under successive bishops : Claude Petit Benoit de Chaffoy (1822-1835), Jean-François-Marie Cart (1837–1855), Claude-Henri Plantier (1855–1875), and François-Nicolas Besson (1875–1878).

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