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The Augustinians of the Assumption (A.A.) constitute a congregation of Catholic religious (?)(priests and 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.〔Judson Mather, The Assumptionist Response to Secularisation, 1870-1900." in Robert J. Bezucha, ed., ''Modern European Social History'' pp 59-89.〕 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. ==Assumptionists/Augustinians of the Assumption== 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). D'Alzon founded two congregations, one for men (the Assumptionists) and one for women (the Oblates of the Assumption). The congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption received its initial approval (‘decree of praise’) in 1857 and its definitive approval in 1864 (although its constitutions were not finally approved until 1923), and d'Alzon resigned from his post as vicar general in 1878 after 43 years of service. With his first disciples he undertook bold apostolic goals: the foreign missions (Australia, eastern Europe), education, the press, and pilgrimages. He died on November 21, 1880 in Nîmes and was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in December 1991. Around the turn of the nineteenth century, the Assumptionists were famed for their use of modern organizational and media techniques, founding one of the oldest and most influential daily newspapers in France, La Croix. Secularists and Republicans recognized the order as a great enemy, particularly after their paper took the lead in attacking Dreyfus as a traitor. When the Republican party came to power, it forced several Catholic religious orders, including the Assumptionists, into exile. Many priests went abroad; other remained in France as secular priests under the authority of local bishops.〔Harris (2007)〕In 1900 it, along with other religious institutes, was dissolved in France and forced into exile. This turn of events became the occasion for its foundation in several countries. In 1925, the Assumptionists absorbed the English branch of the Fathers of St. Edmund, also known as the Oblates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, founded in 1843 by Dom Muard. At the General Chapter of 2005, the Very Reverend Father Richard Lamoureux, an American priest who had been first elected as the ninth superior general in 1999, was re-elected; his assistants are: André Brombart, Emmanuel Kahindo, and Julio Navarro Román (vicar general). Jean-Daniel Gullung was elected general treasurer and Lucas Chuffart general secretary. According to the 2012 Annuario Pontificio, the Augustinians of the Assumption number just 882 religious, of whom 541 are priests, in 125 communities. At the General Chapter of 2011, a French priest Benoit Griere, was elected on 11 May to succeed Father Lamoureaux- who had served the maximum of two successive six-year terms-as the 10th superior general. The religious institute's new superior general, a physician, theologian, and ethicist, was born in 1958 in Chauny, France. He studied medicine in Reims, France, and simultaneously began his formation as a candidate for the Assumptionist priesthood in seminary, studying philosophy and sacred theology. He entered the Assumptionists in 1991 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1995. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Assumptionists」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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