Interiority and the Year of the consecrated life is the focus of reflection in the entire Order. This is also the concentrated theme during the two weeks of permanent formation organized by the General Formation for the religious of Spain. The first of which took place in the House of Spirituality of our Lady of Good Counsel in Monachil, Granada, between April 13 and 17. This gathered 30 religious from different and various communities. The second week with its similar program, will be held in the House of Spirituality of San Millan de la Cogolla (La Rioja) between the third and eighteenth of August.
The workshops went thru an atmosphere of fraternal communion according to the programmed of activities. The highlights were during the expositions, two in the morning and another two in the afternoon, with a communitarian to share and reflect. The pausative and choral recitation of the recitation of the liturgy of the hours and the celebration of the eucharist was not relegated in the second place. And relaxation time and communitarian stroll were never wanting.
Msgr. Eusebio Hernandez
This time around we have a prominent speaker, Monsgr. Eusebio Hernandez. This Augustinian recollect, bishop Tarazona (Zaragoza), is a member of the Episcopal Commission for Consecrated Life, of the Episcopal Conference of Spain. Previously he worked for several years in the Vatican Religious Congregation, in the Episcopal coordinations of the Hispanic language. In his term he had the occasion of assiduously working with the actual Pope Francis when he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires. Very few people were as gifted as he is in developing the topic tasked to him: “ The dreamt consecrated life of the Church by Pope Francis”. It was then with ease for Monsgr. Eusebio motivating his brothers to live with joy and passion the present Church and face with hope the challenges that the Order is facing.
Speakers and presentations
The other speakers were also Augustinian recollects, Jose Ramon Perez, president of the General Secretariat of Formation and as organizer of the Week. He gave the conference on the theme of “The Augustinian Interiority, the spiritaul way”. On the 15 of Wednesday, Fabian Martin will give a reflection on “ Cultural vocation and consecrated life”, emphasizing the need of communitarian responsibility of vocational pastoral. The remaining days, Thursday and Friday, Enrique Gomez gave the analysis of the constitutions of the Order which talk on the section of the contemplative character of the augustinian charism. He summed up, the personal and communitarian encounter with Christ impulses the religious to a communitarian life and be witnesses of the Resurrection.