By Pat Haggerty

Every morning I retreat to my study to start my day with prayer and reflection.  It is my quiet time with the Lord.  As I told you, I have a favorite chair that serves as a wonderful spot for my daily ritual.

I also have an end-table next to the chair that holds everything I need---especially my books and coffee cup!  One can tell a lot about an individual by looking at their desk.  I wonder if the same holds true for an end-table.

A VISIT WITH MARC LEPAIN, PH.D., ASSUMPTION COLLEGE

There a few, if any in the Assumption family, who have been as long a faithful friend of the college and the Assumptionists than Dr. Marc LePain, professor of theology.

Born in Southbridge, MA, one of two boys and sons of a pharmacist, Marc grew up in Notre Dame Parish. It is interesting to note that in 1904, the pastor, Msgr. Brochu, had been a generous benefactor of Assumption College. Over the years, Marc’s family saw at least 2 dozen relatives attend the college. So it was not surprising, that after attending the prep, he followed in their footsteps. In a family of so many Assumption graduates, Fr, Wilfrid Dufault, Marc’s uncle, was a significant influence.

In the 1970s, an Assumptionist religious, Fr. Mutien Lambert, was leading a Bible study group. Over time he was drawn to the Charismatic Renewal and to its develop-ment in the United States and Europe. The Scripture group gradually became a prayer group in the style of this new movement. Visiting various similar groups outside the country and the arrival of young people to share this new experience led to the formation of a prayer group which took the name Maranatha. Three principal aspects define it: prayer and praise, fraternal life, evangelization.

I was born on July 18, 1988 in "the land of integrity," that is to say, Burkina Faso. I can trace my vocation back to the various organizations I joined at my home parish of Barsalogo: altar servers, vocation awareness group, Christian scouts know as CV-AV… After finishing grammar school, I entered St. Cyprian's minor seminary in the diocese of Kaya in 2001 and later, in 2006, transferred to St. Augustine Seminary in Koupéla. Afterward, as I was doing my humanities at St. Irenaeus Seminary, I discovered the Assumption, which attracted me by the simplicity of life of the religious, their ministry, especially their collaboration with lay people. So it was that I began my postulancy in October 2010  and was accepted to this year's novitiate. I have tried to make my own the prayer of the Dominican priest, Louis-Joseph Lebret, "O God, send us madmen who do more than just speak; who are authentic and are so for a lifetime. We need madmen of today, taken up with a simple life, lovers of peace, untouched by deceit, committed never to betray; mild and strong. O God, send us madmen." I want to be one of these!