On September 16, 1912, Pope St. Pius X signed the Brief Religiosas Familias, elevating the Augustinian Recollects to a full religious Order. Today, 113 years later, we celebrate that historic step with joy and gratitude, remembering that our “target” remains the same: Christ, love and center of our whole life..
A historic step in our identity
It has been 113 years since Pope St. Pius X officially recognized the Augustinian Recollects as an Order, consolidating a journey of fidelity and dedication that had begun in 1588 with the Forma de Vivir of the first Discalced Friars. The Brief of the Religious Families, signed on September 16, 1912, was more than a juridical document: it was a providential providential endorsement of the Augustinian Recollectionwhich was born as a humble and radical response to the Gospel.
“Our target”: love of God at the center
Today, looking back, we Augustinian Recollects celebrate with gratitude this history that reminds us who we are and where we are going. Our charism, born in the search for a more austere, silent and fraternal life, continues to be current because it has as its sole purpose what Fray Luis de León wrote in the Forma de Vivir: “Just as our aim is to love God, so our care must be to love all that is closest to him that enkindles us”.
This spirit of love for God and neighbor resounds in a new way in music. Fray José Manuel González Durán has wanted to capture it in the song “Nuestro blanco” (Our target), included in the album Descalzos.included in the album Descalzos. In it, taking the words of Friar Luis himself, he recalls that “our target, our target, our target is to love God”. A joyful and committed song that makes visible the essence of our charism: love as the beginning, the way and the goal of all that we are..
Love and fraternal charity: sign of the Holy Spirit
The lyrics of the song remind us that love of God also gives rise to fraternal charity, an unmistakable sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst. As the Forma de Vivir wrote: “From the love of God springs charity towards one’s neighbor; and thus, the peace of religious among themselves is a very certain sign that the Holy Spirit lives in them”.
Celebrating the anniversary of the Brief is, therefore, more than just recalling a juridical milestone. to renew the desire to live in community, to pray faithfully, to give ourselves to the mission and to witness that Christ is our only end…..
Today, as more than a century ago, we Augustinian Recollects once again say with strength: Our goal is to love God. May this feast find us joyful, grateful and ready to continue walking as a united religious family, with one heart and one soul directed towards Him. united religious family, with one heart and one soul directed towards Him..