The list of the Augustinian Recollect saints’ days, concentrates much of its festivities during the second half of August and the first half of September. Many of the great Augustinian Recollect saints follow one another in rapid succession in few days.
On August 17, the feast of St. Clare of Montefalco is celebrated, model of contemplative nuns. On August 19, that of St. Ezekiel Moreno, exemplar of religious and shepherd. On August 27, the Church and the Order celebrate the feast of St. Monica. On the 28 of August, her son, St. Augustine. And on the month of September, September 4, coincides with the solemnity of the Mother of Consolation, patroness of both the Augustinian Order and that of the Augustinian Recollects and particularly that of the Secular Fraternities. And, finally, we could put an end to the cycle on September 10, with the feast of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, the first of the Augustinian saints.
Taking advantage of these festivities, the Order recovers some of the galleries of the Augustinian iconography. And, among the many that still exist, both ancient and modern, of different forms and styles, that which can be considered as more novel and exotic.
Street artist
It comes from the Philippines and it is due to the chisel of a street artist by the name of Nero Desamparado. Or rather, it is due to a happy meeting of Desamparado with Jaazeal Jakosalem, the Recollect artist recipient of National Award of Ecology, who 10 years ago discovered his (Desamparado’s) unique style and asked him to curve some Augustinian Recollect saints.
Nero lives in Talisay, seven kilometres from Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental, in the Islands of Visayas. The most popular fiesta of Bacolod is Maskara Festival (Mask Festival), that takes place on October 20; it is a kind of carnival in which masks (mascaras) are the motif. Nero dedicates himself to making masks and selling them in the streets of Bacolod.
Saints carved on large wood panels
The Augustinian Recollect saints that he has carved were quite a challenge, in comparison with the masks. It is about big wooden panels of more than one and a half meter by 70 centimeters, in width, He uses wood of hardened acacia on which he carves the image of the saint surrounded by its iconographical attributes. The whole thing wrapped in tropical ambience full of Filipino motifs: mountains, seas, rivers, banana leaves, etc.
The iconographical composition is simple and traditional. That of St. Ezequiel Moreno has nothing special, it contains the most common elements: the beard, his clothing as friar and bishop and his heart crowned with his Episcopal Coat of Arms. The Virgin of Consolation holds her Son, while the two hold the characteristic belt. That of St. Nicolas of Tolentino is more original, to the ordinary attributes of pieces of small bread and partridge, he adds a few daisies, a church and the sun, instead of the star which would be proper to it. Perhaps the most curious composition is that of St. Augustine, which seems to recreate the scene of the garden, even if how much the Saint may appear as writing instead of reading.
What is striking in the work of Nero Desamparado is the design and color. It is about ethnic art that combines simple design with vibrant colors and delicate decoration which flows from indigenous Filipino substratum. Its effect is gaining strength, even on its crude wooden support, very appropriate for transmitting the sense of healthy holiness and embodied in the ingenuous nature coming from the hand of God.