With a deep spirit of communion and hope,
52 Augustinian Recollect friars with more than 50 years of religious life gathered from October 5 to 11 at the “Casa Divin Maestro” in Ariccia
gathered from October 5 to 11 at the “Casa Divino Maestro” in Ariccia (Rome) to begin the Course of Ongoing Formation promoted by the General Secretariat of Spirituality. The week, lived in an Augustinian Recollect family atmosphere, included formation days, jubilee celebrations and significant pilgrimages to holy places in Rome.
A course to continue walking with mature faith
Coming from different communities of the Order, the religious arrived in the evening of October 5 in Ariccia, where they were welcomed by the organizing team:
Friar Javier Monroy
Javier Monroy, General Councilor and President of the course;
Friar Sergio Sanchez
Sergio Sanchez, in charge of ongoing formation in the Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentine; and
Friar Mario Aparecido
Mario Aparecido, responsible for ongoing formation in the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova.
A total of
52 friars
The total number of participants was 52 friars from three provinces: 29 from St. Nicholas, 17 from St. Thomas and 6 from Candelaria. Although two more friars from St. Ezekiel Province were registered, they were unable to attend due to visa issues from the Philippines.
Return to first love with gratitude
The course officially began on Monday the 6th. The participants shared personal and vocational experiences, recalling with emotion figures who marked their path: the Venerable Alfonso Gallegos, Fr. José Luis Igea, Fr. Román Echávarri and other missionary formators who left their mark.
On Tuesday, the topic of lifelong learning for the elderly was
lifelong learning in old age, facing with honesty the challenges of this stage
The main questions were: what are the challenges of this stage: changes, health, coexistence. The underlying questions resonated strongly: Who is God for me? How and where do I walk now?
A week marked by the Jubilee
On Wednesday the 8th, the friars participated in the General Audience with Pope Leo XIV.
General Audience with Pope Leo XIV
who reflected on the humility of the Risen Christ and his silent closeness:
“He doesn’t do anything spectacular…he approaches discreetly, like a random passerby.”
That same day they celebrated the Eucharist in the Church of St. Ildefonso, presided by the Prior General,
Miguel Angel Hernandez
Miguel Angel Hernandez, who thanked the participants for their fidelity:
“Not because they were perfect, but because they trusted in God’s love more than in their own strength. You are a beacon to all.”
In the afternoon, friars, nuns and laity walked together along the Via della Conciliazione.
Via della Conciliazione
on a Jubilee pilgrimage, passing the
Holy Door
and culminating with prayer and song in the chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in St. Peter’s.
I thank God for your fidelity.
Those of you who have given more than half a century of life are a beacon of the Recollection: your light guides, encourages and teaches us to love more.#AnnounceChrist #ConsecratedLifehttps://t.co/e5AhN2sdO0– Miguel Ángel Hernández (@PriorGeneralOAR) October 8, 2025
Celebration of the Jubilee of Consecrated Life
October 9 was the climax: the religious participated in the Jubilee Mass for the Jubilee of Consecrated Life.
Mass of the Jubilee of Consecrated Life in St. Peter’s Square
in St. Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Leo XIV. In his homily, based on the verbs “to ask, to seek and to call,” he encouraged consecrated men and women to live
a spirituality of trust, seeking and mission
recalling that:
“Without Him nothing exists, nothing has meaning, nothing is worth anything” (Confessions 10,6.8).
In the afternoon, the Augustinian Recollect family gathered at the Basilica of St. Augustine.
Basilica of St. Augustine
at the tomb of
St. Monica
to pray and renew together their commitment.
Synodality and prophecy: keys for these times
On October 10, on the feast of
St. Thomas of Villanova
the participants experienced a fraternal day with the rest of the Augustinian Recollect family.
Monsignor Luis Marín de San Martín
Luis Marin de San Martin, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, gave a profound talk on synodality lived from the Augustinian charism.
He recalled that consecrated life must regain the radicality of its
radicality of its origins
It must be a witness of hope, listen, be accountable and take on today’s challenges with audacity and humility.
“We are called to eradicate pessimism like a cancer and to be prophets of hope.”
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Resonances and Marian pilgrimage
On Saturday the 11th, the friars shared their echoes of the week: the beauty of walking together, the witness of generations, the fraternity between nuns and laity, the passage through the Holy Door, the depth of the papal homily… It was a day of gratitude.
In the afternoon they went on pilgrimage to
Genazzano
to the Sanctuary of the Mother of Good Counsel, where
Monsignor Eusebio Hernandez
presided at the Eucharist.
There they tenderly sang the Salve and the Joseph, entrusting their vocation to the Virgin and St. Joseph.