Did you know that the Pflaum Publishing Group and two other Bayard, Inc. companies in the U.S. (Twenty-Third Publications and Creative Communications for the Parish) are sponsored by the Augustinians of the Assumption, a French religious order? More commonly called the Assumptionists, this order is worldwide in its presence and outreach. One of its major commitments is to its publishing and media efforts, both religious and secular, throughout the world.
Pope Francis recently met with Assumptionists who were gathered in Rome for their 34th General Chapter. The theme guiding their Chapter was “The Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). In his remarks to them, Pope Francis emphasized that “wherever you are, you are signs of the Kingdom by your closeness to the people to whom you are sent.”
Want to learn more about the Assumptionists? Their founder is Father Emmanuel d’Alzon (1810–1870). Pope John Paul II named him Venerable in 1991. The congregation officially began on December 25, 1845, and celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2020. Find out more about the Assumptionists here and here. Learn more about Bayard, Inc. here.
Image credits: VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto; Father d’Alzon image: Desconocida, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
