During the last week of April, the Prior General visited the Order’s communities in England. At present the Augustinians carry out their mission in Honiton (Devon) and in two parishes in the capital city of London, Cheniston and St. Anne.
The arrival of the Augustinian Recollects in England dates back to 1932. It was at that time that a group of religious from Spain founded the Monastery of St. Mary’s, a monastery of St. Francis of Assisi. Austin, in Ivybrigde (Devon). They later expanded their presence in nearby Honiton, where a parish church and seminary were built. In 1970 the Order expanded into London, opening a house in the traditional neighborhood of Kensington, and later parishes in Kensal, New Town and Wembley Park. Coinciding with the turn of the century, the then British Vicariate took on the responsibility of a new mission, the care of Spanish-speaking immigrants from South America. The Latin American Chaplaincy of London is based at St. Anne’s Parish Church in the Vauxhall neighborhood of South London.
The Prior General had the opportunity to get to know closely the work of the religious, both in the parishes they serve and, in a special way, in the care of the communities of Latinos living in London. He also met with the Secular Fraternity and with RAY groups that are gradually being formed.
At the end of his visit, the Prior General shared that “What stands out most in this mission entrusted to the Augustinian Recollects in London is that it is the religious who go out to meet the Latinos in different parishes of the city. It is a true experience of the Church going out and its fruits continue to grow”.
