In the national assembly, the secular fraternities come to renew the National Council. Thus, in Spain, few months before the National Assembly, everything was prepared to elect a New Council as established by the Manual of the Fraternity.
After the voting and tallying of votes, Juan Perez Rodriguez from the Fraternity of Saint Thomas of Villanova was reelected president. Three other brothers representing the provinces with fraternities in Spain were elected as members of the National Council.
The elections took place in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid) during the VI National Assembly last October 13 & 14. There were also twelve friars present. Some of them were spiritual directors of the fraternities. Fr. Pablo Panedas represented the General Council in the National Assembly. He is at present a general councilor and the president of the General Secretariat of Spirituality, which is in-charge of the animation and assistance to the fraternities. The Prior General, Miguel Miró, was in Panama when he sent his message of encouragement and prayer. Likewise three of the four priors provincial of Spain were present to greet the brothers.
Conferences
Two talks facilitated the reflection of the participants on the first day. Pablo Panedas expounded on the theme: “The Augustinian Recollect lay in the light of the New Evangelization.” It was a moving conference that stirred the participants to ask about the vocation of the laity. Rosi Castaño, a Secular Augustinian Recollect from Mexico, gave the second talk. She talked about “The Experience of Faith in the Secular Fraternities,” underscoring more the importance of witnessing than the theoretical aspect, which moved the participants to live out their faith with joy and hope. They also spent time to hear the voice of the fraternities who had previously reflected on “How to revitalize the identity and mission of our fraternities? Deficiencies and Possibilities.” Through their respective presidents, all the fraternities had the opportunity to put in common both their problems and aspirations.
Reflection
The objectives and proposals of the fraternities in Spain took shape the following day, when they drew up and voted on six conclusions, which were chiefly assumed and extensively formulated for the brothers and sisters in all parts of the world: to deepen one’s lay vocation within the Church; to uphold one’s experience with God; to update the constitutional texts of the Fraternity; to safeguard the quality of the human and spiritual life of the fraternities; to give testimony to the Gospel within this time of New Evangelization and finally to spread and promote the charism of the Fraternity.