On the day before the opening of their course, the Prior General of the Order, Father Miguel Miró, visited the nuns of the thirteen monasteries in Mexico, thanked them for their prayers for the Order, and urged them to live their vocation and their mission in the Church joyfully.
Father General told them that the Order needs their prayers, especially in this time of revitalization, and as he celebrated the Eucharist for them, he quoted the words of Pope Francis emphasizing the need for observance and for prophecy in our communities.
Forty-three Nuns from Throughout Mexico Attended the Course
The title of the course was “Discernment in Saint Augustine.” Forty-three nuns from almost all the Augustinian Recollect monasteries in Mexico took part in the course, given by Father Enrique A. Eguiarte, an Augustinian Recollect, who traveled from Rome to offer the course.
In attendance were the prioresses, formation directors, and vocation promoters of the monasteries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Tecamachalco, Mexico City; Our Lady of Consolation, Mimosa, Mexico City; Saint Joseph, Papalotla, Texcoco; Our Lady of Good Counsel, Cuernavaca; Saint Augustine, Macuxtepetla, Huejutla; Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, Ahuacatlán, San Luis Potosí; Our Lady of Guadalupe, Jalpan, Querétaro: Holy Angels, Morelia; and Saint Joseph, Tlaxcala; as well as the superior of the Federation, Mother Rosa María Mora Correa.
What is Discernment for Saint Augustine?
During the course of the week Father Enrique Eguiarte spoke on what discernment means for Saint Augustine, beginning by explaining Augustine’s understanding of the word discernment and then recounting the various phases of discernment in the life of the saint.
He presented a series of concrete examples of discernment in the life of the Bishop of Hippo and drew conclusions from them regarding the diverse characteristics of Augustinian discernment. To help the nuns understand this subject, Father Eguiarte offered them reading material, such as texts of Saint Augustine and articles on discernment, for them to discuss first in small groups and then with the presenter.
To illustrate more graphically the meaning of discernment, Father Eguiarte offered an interesting reflection on Caravaggio’s painting “The Vocation of Saint Matthew,” drawing from it the different attitudes that people may have in response to God’s calls.
In conclusion the speaker summarized the material presented during the week, offering “The ABCs of Discernment in Saint Augustine” as a mnemonic key for helping to synthesize and understand what had previously been explained.
Course on Affectivity and Sexuality
During the course, in the afternoons, there was also a “Workshop in Prayer with Saint Augustine.” While the prioresses, formation directors, and vocation promoters attended the course on discernment in Saint Augustine, the postulants and novices of the above mentioned monasteries were given a course on affectivity and sexuality, presented by the group ALMAS. Later in the week these same postulants and novices were given a day of formation by Father Carlos González, Vicar of Mexico.
The atmosphere that reigned throughout the course was one of fraternity and trust, in which the Augustinian Recollect nuns had the opportunity not only to learn the principles of discernment in Saint Augustine, but also to live together in community spirit and to share their thoughts and feelings with one another.
The nuns from the various monasteries who attended will now take on the duty of sharing with their communities the content of the course and the main points that they learned.