The third JAR Workshop, which follows those done in the Dominican Republic in 2011 and in Panama in 2013, was conducted in the city of Guatemala from 9 to 12 January in the current year. Around 170 young people from the host country, Panama and the Dominican Republic attended. Several religious from Costa Rica (Province St. Nicholas of Tolentino) and a sister of the Augustinian Recollect Missionaries (MAR) joined as well. Fr. Hugo Sánchez, vicar of the communities of the province of Santo Tomás in Venezuela and member of the Commission responsible for drafting of the JAR Manual, presented the essence of the movement, its main features, how to be a JAR member and how JAR works. It was on this topic that the young people took the chance to unload their concerns about the life and operation of the JAR.
The religious present in the third workshop were surprised by the demand for further Augustinian formation, and the demand for help in order to deepen their understanding of the charism of the Order. Surprising still is their aim to engage themselves with the JAR way of life and become more Augustinian Recollects.
All the working groups of the three participating countries vigorously and consistently presented this need, prompting the Vicar – the highest official of the Order in Central America, Miguel Angel Ciaurriz – to ask for the floor to ensure the young people that the religious responsible for the Youth Ministry will consider this need, and he apologized for not being able to address this satisfactorily up to now.
Way to happiness
Inaugural session The opening mass was presided by Fr. Ciaurriz himself in the parish of St. Jude Thaddeus. Commenting on the Gospel of the day, he stressed that, like Jesus, also the Augustinian Recollect youth should feel called and anointed by God to announce the good news to the world: that the Augustinian way is a path to happiness, to an encounter with God and to a life of authentic following of Jesus. The offerings in the mass were all Augustinian and JAR symbols. With the cross, the JAR heart, and the coat of arms of the Order, the young people expressed their desire to be part of the Augustinian Recollect way of life.
The workshop began and ended at the Casa del Peregrino, a house for retreats and gatherings at the outskirts of Guatemala City. On the first night the participants had a party with music and listened to the presentation of JAR experiences of the different communities and ministries of Guatemala, Panama and Dominican Republic. Unfortunately there was not enough time for the rest of the delegations to share as it ran late and everybody had to rest for the next day’s exacting activities.
Path of Prayer
On the second day, the vicar spent some time to talk to the young people on the role and the importance that Augustine gave to prayer. Ciaurriz insisted that a young Augustinian Recollect who wants to make his own the holy way of the saint of Hipona must likewise be a man of deep prayer. Friar Ismael Xuruc, responsible of the JAR worldwide, explained how to apply concretely the five pillars on which rests JAR life rests. He emphasized to them that a young JAR should be prayerful, community-oriented, missionary, Marian and Augustinian.
Each group analyzed their own situation. The conclusions of this evaluation will serve in the programming for the year 2014.
Surprise and strength
We must highlight the presence of a group that does not belong to any Augustinian Recollect Ministry of Guatemala and yet has always felt as JAR members and part of the same for the past twenty-five years. They are young people who were initially accompanied by a diocesan priest aided by some religious from the seminary, and since then have kept alive their Augustinian identity. They feel being Augustinian Recollects and also seek for consistent accompaniment from the religious.
It is just right to highlight the warm welcome offered by the hosts. It paved the way to a pervading atmosphere that made them feel as brothers and friends in the true Augustinian sense. Admirable too the attention and the logistics made available that contributed to the perfect flow of the workshop.
The choice of the Order to strengthen JAR way as a proposal to the Youth Ministry is drawn from the experience in Central America thanks to the efforts of the religious belonging to the different provinces.