The Prior General of the Augustinian Recollects invites the entire Augustinian Recollect Family to rediscover Saint Joseph as a model of mission, fidelity, and life in God.
On the occasion of the celebration of Saint Joseph, patron and protector of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, the Prior General has issued a video message to the entire Augustinian Recollect Family, in which he proposes looking to the holy guardian of Jesus as a spiritual reference for the Order’s present moment.
In his address, the Prior General emphasizes the centrality of Saint Joseph in salvation history, highlighting his discreet but decisive role. Far from seeking prominence, his life becomes an eloquent testimony of fidelity to God: “a silent, discreet, and humble figure, yet absolutely decisive in the history of salvation.”
Saint Joseph, a Model of Mission in Everyday Life
The message is set within the context of the Missionary Year being observed by the Augustinian Recollects, offering a profoundly Augustinian key: mission does not begin in the extraordinary, but in ordinary life lived with love and a sense of God.
The Prior General reminds us that Saint Joseph teaches that mission arises “in daily fidelity, in work well done, in the readiness to do what God asks of us.” Thus, his figure illuminates the vocation of religious and laity, called to proclaim Christ through a coherent life.
It is not just about doing, but about being: Saint Joseph proclaims Christ not with words, but with his dedicated existence. This testimonial dimension, profoundly evangelical, is presented as a current challenge for the entire Augustinian Recollect Family.
A Call to Trust and Fidelity
The video message concludes with an invitation to live with an open heart, in an attitude of trust in God, following the example of Saint Joseph. The Prior General entrusts the entire Augustinian Recollect Family to his protection, asking him to accompany the Order’s journey in this time of mission.
“May he watch over the entire Augustinian Recollect Family and always accompany us on our journey.”
This initiative by the General Government reinforces the communion of the Order on a date of special significance, placing at its center an embodied, silent, and fruitful spirituality, in the style of Saint Joseph.
