When everything hurts, when there are no words and hope seems to run out, God does not stay far away. God does not remain mute: he sends consolation. And that consolation has the face of a mother. On this September 4 we celebrate Our Lady of Consolation, patroness of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, remembering that her maternal presence is a faithful companion in the midst of pain and strength in the journey of faith.
Patroness of the Order of Augustinian Recollects
Devotion to Our Lady of Consolation has its roots in the Augustinian tradition. She is the patroness of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and, for centuries, has accompanied the religious family as a sign of strength in faith and hope in the midst of trials. Religious, nuns, secular fraternities, young people and communities who share this charism come to her, recognizing in Mary a safe refuge and a mother who is close to them.
In the words of the Augustinian Recollects:
“Mary consoles not because she removes the cross, but because she does not leave us alone.”
Her motherhood is closeness in suffering and encouragement to continue walking as disciples of Christ.
The tradition of the leash: tears and hope
An ancient tradition tells that Mary appeared to St. Monica in a moment of deep sorrow for her son Augustine. Our Lady consoled her and gave her a leash, a sign of love and strength, which today the Augustinian family wears as a reminder of that shared hope.
That strap, a symbol of humility and simplicity, is also a reminder that hope is never extinguished. Like Monica, who wept for her son until she saw his conversion, generations of Augustinians have lived this devotion as a legacy of trust and faith.
A mother who walks with us
Our Lady of Consolation accompanies the Augustinian Recollect family in all its works: in parishes, schools, missions and communities of consecrated life. Wherever the charism comes to life, there is the mother who sustains, who encourages, who teaches us to trust in God in times of trial.
She weeps with us, believes with us and walks with us. Her consolation is not theory, it is shared life, a presence that strengthens, a sign of communion that unites the entire Augustinian family around Christ.
A feast of gratitude
Today we Augustinian Recollects raise our gaze to Mary, Mother of Consolation, to give thanks for her closeness and to renew our desire to live in fidelity to the Gospel. The celebration of her feast is also a reminder that, as St. Augustine says, true consolation comes from the one who dwells within us and never abandons us.
Mary, Mother of Consolation, is the mother of our recollection. In her we find the strength to continue walking, the tenderness to face tears and the certainty that God does not abandon his children. In her hands we place the life of our religious family and of all those who seek in her the hope that does not disappoint.