On September 1, the 188th General Chapter of the Order of St. Augustine opened in the Basilica of St. Augustine in Campo Marzio (Rome). Pope Leo XIV presided at the votive Eucharist to the Holy Spirit, recalling the importance of listening, humility and humility. listening, humility and unity. The Prior General of the Augustinian Recollects, Friar Miguel Angel Hernandez, was present at this historic moment, in a climate of profound ecclesial communion.
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Pope Leo XIV: “Let the Holy Spirit be the protagonist”.
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV recalled that each Chapter is “a moment of grace for the Order and for the whole 
Church”. He invited the Augustinians to allow themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit, as an “abbondante and irresistibile sopravvento”, which overflows human logics and leads to unity in the diversity of gifts.
The Holy Father underlined three fundamental attitudes: listening to God and to our brothers and sisters, living humility, recognizing that no one has all the answers, and guarding unity as the clearest sign of the presence of the Spirit. Referring to St. Augustine, he pointed out that “as then the gift of tongues was a sign of the Spirit, so today is the love of unity”.
The Testimony of the Prior General of the Augustinian Recollects
Friar Miguel Angel Hernandez, present at the celebration, shared his experience of this meeting:
“It was truly an experience of the Spirit and of immense fraternity. The Augustinians wanted to invite the generals of the other Augustinian orders, and I was able to experience the joy of the encounter. I was greeted by the provincials of countries where we Recollects are also present. -Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Philippines- and we shared moments of true communion. and shared moments of true communion.
The Prior General also had the opportunity to greet Pope Leo XIV personally:
“I told him that we Recollects were very happy about his election and that we were praying for his ministry. He looked at me, smiled and blessed us the whole Order.”
A chapter that challenges us all
The 188th General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine is not only an internal event, but a call to the entire Augustinian family. In keeping with the recent message of the Prior General to the Augustinian Recollects for the feast of St. Augustine, the mission today remains clear: to walk in communion, to proclaim Christ and to serve the Church as one soul and one heart directed toward God..
The invitation is to unite in prayer for the fruits of this Chapter, trusting that, as the Pope asked in his homily, the Holy Spirit will be the one to teach, remind and engrave in our hearts what Jesus has said.
