During the past 18 and 19 of September, the World Meeting of Young Consecrated took place in Rome, under the theme “Wake up the world”, in which 28 young augustinian recollects participated coming from different parts of the world.
After this meeting, and taking advantage of their stay in Rome, the days 21, 22 and 23 of September, they shared a Day of prayer, reflection and work with the Prior General, Miguel Miro, to lay down the different points related to the Order and to deepen in the fruits of the World Meeting of Young Consecrated.
To look at the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future with hope
This conference started on 21 of September with a prayer in the morning to be able afterwards, give way to the Prior General his first lecture, which was entitled “The contribution of the young to the revitalization of the Order”.
Miguel Miro, in this lecture, wanted to tackle the questionings and challenges of the revitalization of the Order encouraging first the young “to experience the joy of being an augustinian recollect”. For this he emphasized the need to “start from our faith and the encounter with Jesus”.
He encourage them to look from the perspective of faith like our Lord on how he was leading his life, and to revive the moments on that day they felt “loved and called” in order to be part of the Order. From this moment all the religious, as the the Prior General emphasized, come to “form part of the Order” and that they feel “called to live a charism which sprang forth more than four hundred years ago”.
Likewise, he wanted to deepen in the importance of feeling active member of the Order without thinking “the general or the provincial or the prior of the community are the only responsible and they alone have to solve everything. For two reasons: one is the co-responsibility, and the other is that the government is a service of charity, as St. Augustine said in the Rule”.
After his lecture, the young religious had a moment of reflection and personal study, in order to have later on a sharing in common in which they could be able to settle doubts and suggest topics to the Prior General.
This first day was closed with the celebration of the Eucharist, followed by supper and the presentation of the communities and ministries by nation.
“As a slogan, return to the roots: love”
The second day was marked with testimonies of different OAR young religious: the Columbian Juan Pablo Martinez and Wilmer Antonio Moyetones, from Venezuela, who shared their experiences and life as recollects.
On the other hand, Bruno d’Andrea, argentinian, talked o f what the young religious ask and can contribute to the Order itself. His testimony was based in three fundamental points which he was spelling out: of what the young OAR religious ask, of what they can contribute and his role in times of restructuring.
He concluded his testimony remembering, just like what St. Augustine did, “the Christian has to return to his inner self and try to discover if the reason behind of what he is doing is love”. This is what the young religious of the Order propose “as a slogan, special during the Year of Mercy and in this process of revitalization: to go back to the roots: which is love”.
After these testimonies and a time of personal study, it proceeded to a time of work by commissions, in which they tried to touch different topics such as “Sense of belonging, ideals and reality, tension between autonomy and interdependence”, “fraternal life, tension between solitude and communication” or “A Life of love at the service of the Church, tension between prayer and apostolic work. Themes which they later on share, with the purpose of deepening and clarifying some possible doubts.
At the conclusion of this enriching, profound and motivating day for all the participants, a final message was elaborated which summarized what was lived during the World Meeting of the young consecrated. What was emphasized In this message was on what the young religious could do “a grateful memory” of the religious of OAR “who have given their life at the service of the Church and of the Order” and that this fact will motivate them to live the present “with passion, authenticity and fidelity”.