Augustinian Recollect religious from six countries are participating in an Ongoing Formation meeting held at the Casa de la Recolección, in Ahuatepec (Morelos, Mexico). The experience, framed in the itinerary Pilgrims in the service of the Church, combines integral formation, fraternal coexistence, and spiritual deepening from the Augustinian inspiration.
An international meeting at the service of vocation
The Casa de la Recolección, located in the town of Ahuatepec, in the Mexican state of Morelos, is hosting these days a group of Augustinian Recollect religious between 40 and 55 years old, from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Costa Rica and the United States. The meeting is part of the process of Ongoing Formation of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, aimed at accompanying and strengthening the vocational experience in this stage of religious life.
This stage of the formative itinerary is part of the Pilgrims in the Service of the Church program, which articulates the different phases of ongoing formation in the Order, and is inspired by the expression of Saint Augustine: “Make me remember you” (De Trinitate 15,51), as a call to renew the memory of God on the personal and community path.
Integral formation of the person
During the first week of the meeting, from Monday, January 12 to Friday, January 16, the participants were joined by Fr. José Víctor Orón, a Piarist religious, who accompanied the formative process with various reflections focused on the integral development of the person.
Throughout the sessions, topics related to the person, the norm, the rule, the relationship between the “thing” and the meaning of life, as well as disaffection and other challenges of human and vocational maturity were addressed. The presentations and dynamics offered spaces for personal reflection and community dialogue, favoring a believing reading of one’s own history and the vital moment that the religious are going through.
The Augustinian imprint in Morelos
On Saturday, January 17, under the guidance of Fr. Gabriel García, OAR, the participants took a tour of the Route of the Augustinian convents in several municipalities of the state of Morelos: Tlayacapan, Atlatlahucan, Totolapan and Yecapixtla.
These ancient monasteries, true treasures of the historical and spiritual heritage of Mexico, preserve in the walls of their cloisters and temples the living memory of the Augustinian presence and the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the centuries. The visit allowed to deepen in the evangelizing history of the Order and to strengthen the link between past and present in the mission of the Church.
Fraternity and shared experience
Beyond the formative and cultural activities, the meeting is also being a privileged space for fraternal coexistence. At different times, the religious have shared not only the geographical and cultural differences of their countries of origin, but also the personal and community experiences that unite them as members of the Catholic Church and as professed in the Augustinian Recollect family.
These spaces for dialogue and listening have fostered a climate of trust and communion, reinforcing the sense of belonging to the Order and co-responsibility in the common mission.
Celebration and encounter with the local Church
On Sunday, January 18, after the celebration of the Eucharist in the religious house of the Augustinian Recollects, the participants took a short tour of the central streets of Cuernavaca, coming into contact with the life and environment of the local Church.
An areopagus to renew the mission
The Ongoing Formation meeting is being experienced by the participants as an authentic areopagus of personal and community encounter with the Lord, a space that the Order of Augustinian Recollects offers to renew the vocation, strengthen fraternity and revive the service to the Church.
On this path, the religious entrust these days of formation and coexistence to the protection of the Virgin of Guadalupe, asking for her intercession so that the meeting may bear fruits of fidelity, communion and generous dedication in the mission.
