At 87 years of age, Fr. Teodoro, with a life full of dedication and service, reflects on his journey as an Augustinian Recollect: “I have gone through various ministries, in America and Europe: Colombia, Panama, Guatemala, Rome, Spain… a long life“, he comments serenely, while recalling his many experiences. Currently, he is in a formation house, after having served in different ministries and government houses. “I’ve bounced around, but we’re still here, at the service of whatever the province and the Lord may require,” he adds, still smiling when asked if he has ever felt depressed by so many changes: “No, not at all. I feel grateful for this path.
At his side, the young Raul, 37 years old and with 10 years of religious life, identifies with his companion, although his journey has been more recent: “not like you, Teodoro, but I have been in different places too: Spain, Guatemala, Colombia, and now Madrid. I am in the formation of young Augustinian Recollects, accompanying them in their vocation“, comments Raul. In spite of their generational differences, both agree on something fundamental: the importance of accompaniment and personal growth in religious formation. “Formation is much better now,” acknowledges Teodoro, “there is more follow-up and personal accompaniment. In my time this was not the case.
In this interview, both share their perspectives on their vocation, community life, the value of faith, and the challenges and hopes of the Order across generations.
Vocation
Father Teodoro described his vocational journey as a natural and linear evolution, without major crises. “I just let myself go,” he said. Since the age of 11, when he entered the minor seminary at the invitation of a priest, he has followed a constant vocation. “There have been no strong vocational crises in my life,” he added, stressing that he always felt his vocation as an Augustinian Recollect, especially as he deepened in the spirituality of St. Augustine. “God has been leading me, helping me to adapt in every different situation.”
“The heart never ceases to be surprised when it is in God’s hands.”
For his part, Father Raul agreed that his vocation was also a gradual process. “I cannot identify a turning point, but rather it has been an encounter with Christ and with the community.” He entered religious life at the age of 16, and it was in the community that he discovered his calling: “I have felt accompanied, and that allowed me to move forward”.
The evolution of training
One of the main themes of the conversation was the transformation of formation within the Order. Fr. Teodoro clearly recalled how in his years of formation there was no such close accompaniment: “In my time, we were never called to speak personally with the masters about how we were doing”. However, he praises the advances in formation today, stressing the importance of the “personal accompaniment” offered today to young people in formation. “It’s much better now,” he said, referring to the concrete programs and personalized follow-up given to those in formation.
Father Raúl also valued these changes and emphasized that one of the pillars of formation today is the creation of a good environment in the houses of formation, where young people can grow in community and feel accompanied in their vocational process. “It is important that they do not go alone, that they feel that the community and the church are with them,” he said.
Challenges and dreams for the future
Both priests also spoke of the challenges facing the Augustinian Recollect Order today. “We face realities close to the youth of today,” said Father Raul, referring to the need to be bold and courageous in the response that the Order must give to the current problems, without losing sight of trust in God. His dream is that “the Order will continue to be courageous, committed and generous to those most in need, especially in the missions”.
“My dream is that we continue to be courageous, responding generously to God’s call, always faithful to our charism and to the Gospel.”
Fr. Teodoro, on the other hand, pointed out that he dreams“that the Order should enter into itself, as St. Augustine invites us to enter into our hearts. He believes that the Order should be nourished by the spirit that animates it and from there go out into the world to evangelize. “It doesn’t matter that we are few, the important thing is that we are light and leaven in the world“.
Shared moments
Throughout the conversation, both priests also shared amusing anecdotes and gratifying experiences they have lived as Augustinian Recollects 
. Fr. Teodoro recalled their arrival in Colombia after a long 24-hour plane ride, with no money and no one waiting for them at the airport. “We arrived in Bogota and we had to ask the brother of the community to pay for the cab because we did not have a single peso,” he recounted with a laugh.
Father Raul, for his part, evoked an experience during his novitiate in Navarra, when he and a group of companions got lost in the fields near the convent and had to jump over a fence to get back in time. “No one noticed, but we were exhausted and full of dust, laughing during prayer,” he recounted.
Both priests agree that community life has been essential in their vocation: “For me, the community has helped me a lot, without it I would not be an Augustinian Recollect“, concluded Father Teodoro.