Father Larlar is a renowned speaker on themes about the thought and spirituality of Saint Augustine or the Constitutions of the Order. He has directed numerous retreats and spiritual exercises among novices, nuns, students, priests and lay professionals. He has been a professor in the Faculty of Law of San Sebastian College, and, above all, he has taught Philosophy and Languages in Casiciaco Recoletos Seminary of Baguio for two decades.
Q.- What does the election as superior of Philippines, Taiwan and Sierra Leon suggest?
R.- I suppose that the brothers are searching for continuity… how to improve concretely the way of living the charismatic identity that, more than just an idea, is a form of living and serving, a way of living and working in this part of Asia and in other continents. The province is young and it desires maturity. During my first triennia as prior provincial, we intend to implant well the foundational elements of the Augustinian Recollection. Likewise, we realized the difficulties that we have: isolation, the different language, our distance with respect to other provinces. It seems that in our young Province, the same desire for maturity as an authentic daughter of the Recollection is burning. Maybe for this reason, they elected me again as prior provincial.
Revitalization
Q.- What objectives and proposals of the recently celebrated provincial chapter would you highlight?
R.- I believe that the priority objective of the chapter says it all: “To revitalize the Province of Saint Ezekiel Moreno in its charismatic identity in order that it may fulfill better its mission of re-evangelization, restructuring its life of prayer in community, its personal and collective witnessing of Evangelic poverty and its faithful attention to the community of goods.
Poverty
Q.- How would you explain the reason why so much importance was given to evangelic poverty in the provincial chapter?
R.- I believe that the insistence on the theme of poverty is explained better, beginning from the Word and from the concrete situation of the Filipino people. In our Archipelago, in general, there is much social poverty, and many of us religious ask ourselves if our way of living and working reflects our following of the poor and humble Christ. In many of us, there is a great discontentment, and we search for how to improve our being Augustinian Recollects within the context of evangelic poverty.
Prayer
Q.- You were in the General Chapter and in it, the revitalization of the Order was proposed. What has the provincial chapter indicated in order to move for the revitalization of the Province? What do you suggest for the revitalization of the Order?
R.- Something like this was mentioned in the provincial chapter. It is clear enough that we must start from Christ, fixing the gaze once again on the Word made flesh who lives among us. This would be the first point, to read the Word of God, to go back to lectio divina according to the style of our father Augustine.
Consequently, prayer would come: to pray both personally and in community, and to do what is possible for us to become masters of prayer, which demands much ascesis and communitarian life. This would lead us to recognize ourselves as Eucharist, as communion and community in the Church.
Finally, I hope that the chapter be, for each brother, an occasion to find himself with Christ in each of the chapter’s ordinances, that is only possible when one returns to himself, to the Word made flesh, who is always within.
Schools
Q.- The Province is based, most especially in the Philippines, and in its apostolate, it highlights teaching. How do you see the situation of the schools and of the universities that it administers?
R.- Our schools are doing well from the point of view of administration and professional and technical development. In the aspect of the apostolate, still there is much to be done. We differentiate “the apostolate of education” from the “administration of schools.” We recognize that we have progressed as administrators. But the fact that many brothers are not growing as apostles at the same level causes us pain. This situation worries us, because majority of the religious live and work in communities that have schools and there is a great number of young who go to our schools.
Fraternal life
Q.- How could fraternal life of our communities be intensified?
R.- I believe that the way of intensifying both fraternal life of our communities and our relation with creation, is to intensify our personal relationship with Christ. But, in order to be able to deepen an intimate relationship with Christ, the religious must renounce himself, take up his cross… , because that is the only existing Christ, the crucified Christ. Clearly in order to be able to renounce oneself, I need the help of the community and of some concrete and practical norms.
Missions
Q.- What do the missions of Sierra Leone, Taiwan and Palawan (Philippines) mean for the province?
R.- We know the importance of having missions outside the country, and there is an authentic enthusiasm to go to the missions. But, being a province for few years, we realize that still we do not have a clear vision of what is mission. To achieve such vision is one of the challenges of the triennium.
Vocations
Q.- How do you explain the abundance of vocations in the Philippines. How many students of philosophy are there in Baguio? How many novices and students of theology are there?
R.- Yes, thanks be to God, many young enter in our seminaries … and many also leave after three or four years. Reasons? There are many, and this chapter has asked us to make a serious study in order to explain the many departures from the seminaries, particularly, from the formation house of Philosophy.
At present, in the minor seminary of San Carlos, we have 17 intern seminarians and 10 externs. There are 97 young students, who are studying philosophy in Baguio. In Antipolo, there are 10 pre-novices and 12 novices. And, finally, in the theologate of Quezon City, we have 24 simple professed and 8 deacons.
Ecology
Q.- In the province, there is a commission that promotes ecology and the protection of creation. Has the chapter spoken of the necessity of preserving nature?
R.- Yes, the promotion of ecology and defense of creation forms part of the “advocacy” of the province and there is a commission that takes charge of it. There are religious, who are very preoccupied of it. One of the religious brothers is even considered “an expert;” he prepared a manual on recycling of garbage and promotion of ecology. The webpage of the province publishes much on ecology and protection of creation.
Communication
Q. In the chapter, have the organization of communications and how to achieve a greater coordination with the Order of the Province been raised?
R.- There has been much talk on communications and its coordination. There is an ordinance that creates a commission on communications, following the directives of the 54th General Chapter. We have the conviction that lack of communication and coordination indicates a lack of sense of community, province or Order. And there has bee insistence as well in the difference between a communication that is an essential part of the apostolate and builds communion, and the communication that fragments and isolates the friar with respect to the community.