May 2026, Augustinian Recollect Missionary Year.
Dear Augustinian Recollect Family,
This year, the Augustinian Recollects are celebrating a Missionary Year that invites us to revive the spirit of the Order: to go where the Church needs us. We are accompanied by the motto “Proclaim Christ wherever you can,” a call that arises from the Gospel and the heart of Saint Augustine. The Order cannot keep the treasure of the Gospel to itself; our vocation is to proclaim it to every person and in every human reality, especially where hope is lacking.
On the path of faith, each generation receives a commission that never loses its relevance: to proclaim Jesus Christ. For our family, this invitation resonates with special intensity today. But this motto does not simply arise from a pastoral inspiration; it is rooted in the very Word of God. In the Gospel according to Saint Mark, Jesus sends his disciples with a clear mission: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to all creation” (Mk 16:15). Similarly, Matthew’s command reaffirms this urgency: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19).
This is not an optional task, but the very essence of Christian life. This command is not a burden or an imposition, but an act of trust, because Christ believes in us and empowers us with the strength of the Holy Spirit. Proclaiming Christ “wherever you can” implies recognizing that no place is excluded from evangelizing action: distant communities, existential peripheries, everyday spaces, social networks, families, or workplaces. Wherever human beings seek meaning, the message of hope must resonate.
This impulse finds a profound echo in Saint Augustine. He himself, after his conversion, understood that the encounter with the Lord is not for oneself alone. In his writings, he insists that true love tends to communicate: “We cannot love what we do not know, nor can we keep silent about what we have discovered.” For him, the truth found had to be shared with joy, humility, and a deep ecclesial sense. He understood mission as an extension of love: whoever has experienced God feels the natural desire to lead others to that same encounter.
In this Missionary Year, we renew our commitment to go out and meet others, not to remain enclosed in our certainties, but to open paths for Christ to be known and loved. This motto is a way of life that invites us to be missionary disciples at all times.
May this time be an opportunity to rekindle our faith, strengthen our identity, and respond with generosity. Proclaiming Christ is not just the task of a few, but the vocation of all. As Pope Francis says: “To be missionary disciples is to have a permanent readiness to bring the love of Jesus to others; and this happens spontaneously in any place: on the street, in the square, at work, on a journey” (EG 127).
Ultimately, the Order is missionary because God himself is missionary: He first came to meet us, and now it is our turn to respond by bringing Christ wherever we can.
With fraternal affection,
