The social labor of the Order of Augustinian Recollects is continuing to grow. It is a work that cannot be disassociated from their evangelical spirit. As we read in their Constitutions: “… a committed conscience as … it faces the real problems of society, which press us to take on a preferencial option for the poor.” In this social aspect of their work, as in so many others, the Augustinian Recollects work with tools proper of today’s society.
Two years ago the Order celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Haren Alde, and now, on this present occasion, congratulates the NGO Hope, situated in Lodosa, Navarre, Spain, as it celebrates 20 years of service. The Order takes great pleasure in recognizing the work accomplished by Hope and by other social endeavors that have sprung up over the years in contact with the Augustinian Recollects.
Eucharist in Monteagudo
A Mass of Thanksgiving commemorating the organization’s twenty years of work and dedication was celebrated at the monastery in Monteagudo, the emblematic house of the Augustinian Recollects near Lodosa. Enjoying an evening of fraternity and happy memories were all the members of Hope and many of the people who have worked with them and supported them, the Augustinian Recollect Fraternities of Marcilla and Monteagudo, and Recollect friars from several communities.
Before Mass the participants viewed a video on the history of Hope. Congratulatory greetings were read from the Prior General of the Order, Father Miguel Miró, and from Augustinian Recollect bishops in Brazil, Bishop Joaquín Pertíñez of Río Branco and Jesús Moraza of Lábrea. Corpus Campo, president of Hope, responded with deep emotion to these greetings and those of several missionaries and the congratulations of all present. She had no qualms in proclaiming that Hope is “a religious NGO under the auspices of the Augustinian Recollects and a fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit. The participants filled the monastery church for the celebration of the Eucharist, at which Father Javier Jiménez, Prior Provincial of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Province, presided.
Lodosa
This supportive venture of the NGO of Lodosa began in 1994, on the feast of Saint Joseph. The Augustinian Recollects had had a minor seminary bearing the name of this holy Patriarch in Lodosa, which for several decades produced generations of religious and missionaries. A group of ladies who lived nearby, almost all of them Secular Augustinian Recollects, were very sensitive to the needs of the mission of Lábrea in the Amazon in Brazil. They decided to offer a helping hand in a simple way, to recycle superfluous items from their consumer society and to send what could be produced from them to those in need. Thus the flea markets were born. The first was in Lodosa, on that feast of Saint Joseph in 1994. Others began to spring up immediately in neighboring towns. Then the ladies obtained a van and began to expand their field of activity to Saragossa, Valladolid, Madrid …. In the course of these 20 years, there have been 125 flea markets, and they have raised large sums of money through their hard work, bearing with the burdens of travel, bad weather, and many uncertainties.
Projects
In 1996 Hope was officially registered as an NGO. This made it possible to apply for and receive grants and subsidies from public and private institutions. To do this, the members opened delegations in other parts of Spain: Pamplona, Chiclana de la Frontera (Cádiz), and Madrid. Their social assistance projects multiplied. They have given aid to 69 projects up to now and have raised some 1,200,000 euros, all destined for a broad range of social development projects. At first they concentrated on poverty and the education of children in Lábrea. They have since broadened their scope to include unsafe housing, sexual abuse, and conservation in the Amazon, the lack of water in Africa, and other endeavors.
Volunteers
The members do not work alone. Some 50 volunteers work with the Lodosa group, collecting items and cleaning and repairing them, producing arts and crafts, serving as contact persons, and helping in bureaucratic procedures. A group of twenty women, over 80 years of age and even 90, spend their time doing needlework for the benefit of Lábrea. Over these past years they have sent hundreds of boxes to Lodosa, containing their handmade blankets, scarves, dolls and stuffed animals, children’s clothing, and a thousand other popular items that are highly marketable in Hope’s flea markets.
It is surprising that after two decades, Hope is still alive and strong. This is a rare occurrence for a small association with no desire for profit, especially for one made up of simple housewives who have a thousand other occupations and concerns. Corpus Campo, president of Hope, explains it very well: “It is necessary to have the support of faith, deep roots that assure permanancy and endurance in spite of disappointments and fatigue.” We hope that these roots will be deep enough to keep Hope alive and strong for many more years.