On September 16, 1912, Pope Pius X granted the Augustinian Recollects complete independence from the Order of Saint Augustine. For this purpose he promulgated the brief entitled Religiosas Familias. We will celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of this document next year. The Augustinian Recollects intend to celebrate the centenary with the greatest solemnity, as decreed by the recent general chapter of the Order, held in Monachil, Granada, Spain, toward the end of the year 2010.
An ad hoc commission for the planning of the centenary met in Rome last Februay 24 and decided, among other things, to design a centenary logo. This project was entrusted to the Spanish designing company Liderlogo.es, which first submitted several rough sketches, corresponding to the suggestions of the commission. The company then designed ways for applying the logo to the various materials that will be used during the centenary.
The Logo
The basic graphic element of the logo represents the historical journey traveled by the Augustinian Recollects, a journey involving three key historical moments: the year 1588, when the Recollection was founded by the Chapter of the Province of Castille in Toledo, Spain; the year 1912, when the Recollection began to move on as an independent Order; and the year 2012, when the centenary of the Order will be completed.
The Motto
The motto for the centenary, giving theological depth to this historic event, is taken from the Letter to the Hebrews (13:8): “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” a statement that makes the passage of time relative in the face of the one and only absolute, Jesus Christ. The final adverb, “forever,” is intended to impel the Recollects of today toward the horizon of a promising future.
On the Day of the Recollection, December 5 of this year, the period of preparation for the centenary will officially begin. The centenary itself will open on Sunday, September 16, 2012, and until Sunday, September 15, 2013, a rich and varied progam of activities will be carried out throughout the Order, all of which will be announced in due time.