During the national reunion, secular fraternities renew the National Council. With six months of anticipation, the material and election procedure of the new National Council have been prepared as established by the Manual of the Fraternity. The members of the fraternities presented candidates to the office of National President and Provincial Councilors of the Fraternities.
As a result of the voting and the subsequent canvassing, Juan Pérez Rodríguez, belonging to Saint Thomas of Villanova fraternity, is elected as president of the National Council. He accepts the office and convokes the election of councilors. The following are elected: Juan Ramírez Moreno, from Chiclana fraternity, Martín Martínez Martínez, from "La Encarnación del Señor" fraternity, Granada, and Paulina Rivas Rienda, from Santa Florentina fraternity, Madrid.
Added to the 130 representatives of ten fraternities from different places in Spain, there were also ten religious present: the Spiritual directors of the secular fraternities in Spain and Fr. Miguel Miró, Vicar General of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and president of the General Secretariat of Spirituality, which is given the charge of the animation and direction of the fraternities.
The Bible
The first conference of the said gathering was given by Jorge Martínez Arribas, a former student and an incumbent professor of Colegio San Agustín in Valladolid. His conference is entitled “How to use the Bible?” He tried to awaken in the lis-teners the hunger and interest for the Sacred Scripture by his reading and knowledge, but most especially by the experience of encountering the living God through prayerful reading of the Scriptures.
The group activity that followed the conference helped deepen the theme presented.
Saint Augustine
Jesús Suela, Secretary General of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, was the af-ternoon speaker. “Why read the Sacred Scripture? Saint Augustine and the Bible,” was the title of his talk in the afternoon. Fr. Suela encourages the participants to take hold of the Sacred Scriptures, putting in concrete the ”tolle et legge” of the Confessions and following the example of Saint Augustine, who dedicated his life greatly in studying and expounding the Scripture and in praying with it.
The conference was followed by a colloquium with the speaker, who kindle the awa-kened interest to advance in the encounter with God in his Word.
Testimonies
Then, the moment came for the participants to present their own testimonies. Each fraternity presented in seven minutes “The Use of the Sacred Scripture in my Fraternity.” The presentations were a living expression of faith that animates them.
In this V Gathering, four fraternities from Madrid have participated, which have their seat in some Augustinian Recollect Parishes: Santa Rita, Santa Florentina, Santa Mónica and Nuestra Señora de Buenavista of Getafe. There were other two from Granada, mostly coming from "Santo Tomás" and the "La Encarnación del Señor". Finally, fraternities from Motril (Granada), Monteagudo (Navarra), Valladolid and Chiclana (Cádiz) were likewise present.