Each Provincial Chapter is an invitation to return to the sources of the charism, discern the signs of the times, and renew the mission that the Lord entrusts to the Province. But the XXXVIII Provincial Chapter of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova reveals, moreover, a particularly hopeful sign: the fruitful encounter between generations that today build together the present and future of religious life.
Among the twenty-nine religious capitulars, twelve are under fifty years of age. Far from being a mere statistic, this reality manifests the fruit of decades of silent dedication, vocational accompaniment, and trust in God. Each of them is the expression of a story that began long before this Chapter: the story of communities that sowed the Gospel with patience and fidelity, convinced that the Lord continues to call new laborers for His harvest.
A Hope That Has Been Growing
The presence of young religious at the Chapter is not the result of chance. It is the harvest of the seed that many generations of Augustinian Recollects sowed with sacrifice, prayer, and missionary spirit.
Each vocation represents a concrete response to God’s call and, at the same time, confirms that the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova continues to be fertile ground for the Gospel.
To look upon the chapter hall is to contemplate, in some way, the path traveled by an entire Province: those who began this story continue to offer the richness of their experience, while new generations assume with responsibility the task of projecting the charism toward the future.
A Dialogue That Enriches the Province
Perhaps one of the most beautiful images this Chapter leaves is precisely this: religious of different generations listening to one another to discern together.
The friars with greater experience contribute the living memory of the Province, the serenity born of years of fraternal life, and the wisdom acquired in mission. The younger ones offer dynamism, creativity, new sensibilities, and an open perspective on the challenges that the Church and the world present today.
These are not two opposing visions, but two gifts that complement each other.
Experience helps to safeguard identity; youth drives the search for new ways to proclaim the Gospel with fidelity to the Augustinian Recollect charism.
It is precisely in that dialogue where the Province finds one of its greatest strengths.
A Youth Born of the Spirit
However, the true youth of a religious Province does not depend solely on age.
The Church remains young when it keeps alive the passion for Christ. A religious Province also becomes young again each time it allows itself to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, listens with humility to the voice of God, and opens spaces so that new generations can assume responsibilities with freedom and confidence.
Therefore, the participation of these thirteen young religious goes far beyond a demographic fact. It is the visible sign of a Province that continues to believe in vocations, that commits to shared discernment, and that looks to the future with hope.
Building Tomorrow Together
During these days, the capitulars are called to discern the path that the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova will follow in the coming years. They do so from different sensibilities, diverse personal histories, and different generations, but united by the same charism and the same mission.
Perhaps that is one of the most valuable lessons this XXXVIII Provincial Chapter leaves: the future does not belong exclusively to the young, nor can it be sustained solely on experience. It is built when both learn to listen to each other, walk together, and allow themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Because a Province remains truly young when it never loses the joy of continuing to respond, each day, to God’s call.
