When the then Cardinal Robert Prevost, O.S.A. was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the Order of Augustinian Recollects sent him a letter of congratulations. His response, simple and profound, is today – in the light of his election as Pope Leo XIV– a beautiful testimony of ecclesial communion and Augustinian fraternity. Augustinian fraternity. This exchange of words is much more than an institutional courtesy: it is a manifestation of the spirit that we share and that animates us today. a manifestation of the spirit that we share and that today encourages us to continue walking with hope together with the new Pontiff..
A greeting from the heart
On February 2, 2023, the Prior General Miguel Angel Hernandez, OAR, addressed a letter to the newly appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops on February 2, 2023.Miguel Ángel Hernández, OAR, addressed a letter to the newly appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. In it, he expressed to him -in the name of the whole Augustinian Recollect family- the joy for his appointment and gratitude for his closeness to the religious in Peru, especially in Chiclayo.especially in Chiclayo.
“We rejoice in the trust that Pope Francis has placed in your person. Count on our prayers in these times of synodality, so that he may exercise his new mission in a key of communion.”
The answer: a fraternal echo that resounds louder today.
That same day, Robert Prevost responded with few words, but loaded with meaning:
“It is a beautiful gesture of fraternity that manifests the Augustinian spirit we share.”
He also added a concrete testimony:
“I have been very happy to accompany the confreres in Our Lady of Consolation parish a little more closely during these years, and I have felt very deeply the valuable support of the OAR bishops in the Peruvian bishops’ conference.”
Today, these lines are read with a new emotion: the one who was our missionary brother is now our universal Shepherd.. His simple gratitude and appreciation for the Augustinian Recollects continue to be a source of encouragement and commitment.
A Pope with Augustinian history in Peru
During his service as bishop of Chiclayo (2015-2023), Bishop Prevost was a close pastoral a pastoral figure very close to the Recollect community.. He actively participated in the ecclesial life of the country, defending social causes, supporting migrants, and promoting a missionary, fraternal and committed Church.
His years in Peru left their mark: he accompanied processions, promoted charity campaigns, denounced injustices and lived the mission as community service. lived the mission as community service.. From the streets of Chiclayo to the spaces of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, his presence was testimony of a pastor with an Augustinian soul.
Walking with the Pope: fraternity, communion and hope
This cross-cutting is not just an anecdote. It is a sign of the spiritual bond that unites the Order of St.
Augustine with the new Pope. He reminds us that the ecclesial fraternity is not an abstract ideal, but a concrete experience of affection, communion and shared mission..
And it renews us in a certainty: today we walk with the Pope, but not as strangers, but as brothers.. Leo XIV carries in his heart a shared history, a charism that is also ours and a hope that is for the whole Church.
Let’s follow the path together
From the Order of Augustinian Recollects we unite ourselves with gratitude, prayer and joy to Pope Leo XIV. We thank him for his dedicated life, for his testimony of missionary faith, and for this gesture of fraternity that encourages us to continue walking with our hearts in communion and our feet going forth. with our hearts in communion and our feet on the move..