The Assembly of the Brazilian Delegation of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Augustinian Recollects had a total of 19 participants: 15 Augustinian Recollect religious who work in the communities of Manaus, Lábrea, Tapauá, Pauini and Guaraciaba do Norte; two pre-novice postulants; and the Prior Provincial and his secretary.
Developed in a fraternal climate and with sincere availability for listening and common discernment, the richness of the diversity of experiences and the common desire to attend with quality and commitment to the different missions entrusted were visible.
After the welcome and reunion of the religious, who in their daily lives are separated by a great geographical distance, the practical aspects of the coexistence for the week were agreed upon, creating the environment that would facilitate the development of the Assembly in all its aspects.
The first presentation focused on the Centenary of the Augustinian Recollects’ presence in the Amazon (1926-2026), given by Luis Antonio Fernández, religious member of the Centenary Celebration Committee. The speaker summarized the history of dedication, faith, and closeness to the people demonstrated by so many Recollect missionaries over the past one hundred years.
All the materials were presented, what is still needed was specified, and special activities were scheduled between October 14th and 17th. With creativity, the aim was to combine grateful remembrance with evangelistic outreach.
This century-old history of the Augustinian Recollects in the Amazon allowed for dialogue about the lessons learned over these one hundred years, the current contribution of the Augustinian Recollect Family in Lábrea, and the future. The highs and lows of history and the challenges of the present call for a hopeful realism.
All the religious, community by community, shared how they feel, the joys that sustain them, the difficulties that challenge them, and the aspects they perceive need to be reviewed or improved. The dialogue took place in an atmosphere of trust and fraternity, of active listening, and of free, honest, and fraternal expression.
As a pre-chapter assembly, the reflection focused on Decision 47 of the 128th Provincial Chapter, which will be evaluated and revised at the next Chapter (129th) in May: “To prepare a study of the Province’s presence in each country, taking into account the number of religious, quality of community life and apostolic needs.”
The provincial prior offered his point of view and then, in groups, everyone conveyed their opinions and proposals which were then presented in the plenary session, to enrich the discernment with complementary perspectives.
In conclusion, the provincial prior presented a summary of the conclusions of the dialogue, suggestions were agreed upon to be addressed at the 129th Provincial Chapter, and issues relating to the administration and agenda for the year 2026 were discussed.
It was a time of grace, of active listening, of grateful memory, of shared discernment, of renewal of the desire to walk together faithful to the charism and attentive to the cries of the mission, to live in fraternal unity the faith, the mission and the charism itself.
