The vocational promoters of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters of Mexico: We feel sent on a mission.
The religious sisters participated in a training course in Ahuacatlán de Jesús, where they delved into the value of Christian witness and vocational ministry in light of Saint Augustine’s Confessions.
Vocational promotion is born, before words, from the witness of a life dedicated. With this conviction, the Augustinian Recollect Sisters of Mexico celebrated from June 29 to July 4, 2026 the Vocational Promoters Course, a training and fraternity gathering held at the Monastery of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, in Ahuacatlán de Jesús (San Luis Potosí), which brought together religious sisters from different monasteries both in person and via Zoom.
Training focused on witness that awakens vocations
The gathering began with the dynamic “Of Light”, a reflection that invited the participants to discover Christ as the light that must remain lit in one’s own life. Based on the passage from the Gospel of Saint Luke about the lamp that cannot be hidden under a table, the religious sisters delved into the responsibility of being light for young women seeking to discern their vocation.
After this initial moment, the sisters, organized into small groups, shared the experiences, challenges, and fruits of their work as vocational promoters in their respective communities.
Friar Enrique Eguiarte: witness as a path to vocation
The person in charge of imparting the training was Friar Enrique Eguiarte, OAR, who developed the theme “Witness and Life”, taking Saint Augustine’s Confessions as its central axis.
Throughout the sessions, he explained how the conversion of the saint of Hippo was an authentic work of God’s grace, but also the fruit of the concrete witness of many people who marked his path. Some were a permanent example; others, on the contrary, were a disappointment that ended up strengthening his search for truth. Among all of them, the figure of Saint Monica stands out, whose fidelity, perseverance, and maternal love constantly accompanied her son’s conversion process.
The afternoons were dedicated to personal reading of the Confessions, subsequently enriched by the historical, spiritual, and theological explanations offered by the Augustinian Recollect religious.
Saint Monica, a model for those who accompany discernment
One of the most significant moments of the course was the reflection on the prayer life of Saint Monica.
Her unwavering trust in God and her perseverance in prayer led the participants to ask themselves how they themselves live their daily relationship with the Lord, aware that no vocational ministry can bear fruit if it does not first arise from a deep spiritual experience.
During the various gatherings, they also delved into the virtues and gifts of the characters who accompanied Saint Augustine’s life, discovering how God uses the simple witness of people to touch hearts and awaken new vocational responses.
A gathering that strengthens the mission from the cloisters
The course concluded on July 4 with the celebration of the Eucharist and the singing of Vespers. The next day, the participants returned to their respective monasteries, taking with them new resources to continue accompanying young women in discerning God’s call.
The Augustinian Recollect Sisters also expressed their gratitude to Friar Enrique Eguiarte for the time dedicated to the training and for the depth of his teachings, as well as to the community of the monastery of Ahuacatlán de Jesús, which hosted the gathering with a spirit of fraternity and hospitality.
