Initially, I hadn’t planned to attend this training meeting for Augustinian Recollects from around the world, aged between 40 and 55 years old, since at 54 I was right on the limit. Furthermore, I reaffirmed my refusal with the pretext that I believed it was more necessary to dedicate myself to accompanying candidates to the religious life as a vocation promoter.
But I received a direct invitation from the coordinator of the retreat, changed my mind, and decided to attend. As a result, I thoroughly enjoyed the three weeks of formation at the Augustinian Recollects’ House of Recollection in Ahuatepec, near Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
I believe that the four distinct courses we received will be useful not only for my personal life but also in helping the young people I work with who are exploring their vocation. The course proposals help us grow as individuals, as Christians, and as Augustinian Recollects — personally, within our communities, and in our pastoral service.
I also greatly enjoyed sharing this formation with religious from all over the world and living alongside them. With those I met for the first time, we were able to share our vocational experiences, and I was enriched by the opportunity to learn about the whole ministerial realities where the Augustinian Recollect Family serves.
I was also able to share time and conversations again with Recollects whom I had already met during my initial formation or during the assignments I have had as a religious until now, but whom I had not seen again for several years.
I spoke with everyone, I learned firsthand about their different experiences and stories in the ministries and missions of the Augustinian Recollects and, when appropriate, I remembered many happy things and anecdotes that I experienced in earlier stages of my life.
It was very rewarding to see each other as brothers, to strengthen the trust to talk and joke, to enjoy the more relaxed coexistence of weekend walks, to increase each day the integration and mutual knowledge, to pray and celebrate the Eucharist together sharing our faith and our vocation.
I also want to highlight the daily get-togethers after dinner. At that time, we took the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the group in a more personal way: our background, our pastoral service, our history.
I have learned a lot about Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Spain, and Mexico, expanding and completing the previous vision I had of my whole Augustinian Recollect religious community, of our way of being and doing.
I am very grateful to all those who have prepared this opportunity for training and encounter that has edified us, given us new tools to grow and help the people we serve, and makes us strengthen ties and feel more like the Augustinian-Recollect Family.
