On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of their stay in the Andean country nine Augustinian Recollects prepared a document to express their gratitude to God for bringing them to Chile. They honored 30 confreres “who, with their virtues and fragilities, generously worked to spread the Good News by means of their spiritual, pastoral and communitarian life since the 23rd of April 2001.”
They also mentioned the foundations that marked their 10 years of pastoral labor: “in the diocese of San Agustín de Talca, welcoming the first four religious in the parish of San Luis Gonzaga and expanding the mission to the north of the country in the city of La Serena, in the convent of Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, attending to the pastoral needs of the Church of San Agustín and the parish of San Isidro, and later in Santiago, in the parish of Santa María de la Esperanza.”
The Faithful and the Commitment
The message acknowledged their predecessors and presented positive views: “We gather what others planted, which is evident in the satisfaction expressed by the Chilean lay faithful; one clear proof is the constitution of different lay communities around our Augustinian Recollect spirituality.” Challenges and difficulties were also mentioned: “in this local church, which at present undergoes difficult times, we face serious challenge that demands from us serious and radical commitment to be witnesses of religious and priestly life.”
It ends with words of gratitude to “all those who walked with our community in the midst of joys and pains, labors and fatigues, as well as successes and failures, dedicated to every ministry, not only with their gifts of person and material possession, but principally with their spiritual and fraternal contribution, making of this Church, ‘one table’ for all”.