On October 8, from the church of the International College of St. Ildefonso and St. Thomas of Villanova in Rome – where one of the first images of the Virgin of Guadalupe is located in the Eternal City – the Prior General, Friar Miguel Angel Hernandez, sent a video message to the Augustinian Recollect family that is making a Jubilee pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe. A sign of spiritual communion within the framework of the Jubilee Year, on the same day that he himself participated in the Jubilee pilgrimage to the Almudena in Madrid.
An Augustinian heart between Rome, Mexico and Madrid
In a gesture of communion and closeness, Fray Miguel Angel Hernandez, Prior General of the Augustinian Recollects, recorded and distributed this October 8 a video message addressed to the entire Augustinian Recollect family of Mexico that is making a Jubilee pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe.
The message was recorded from the church of the Augustinian Recollect community in Via Sistina 11 (Rome), where there is a historic image of Guadalupe, possibly the first to arrive in the Eternal City. This choice underlines the deep bond between the Order and the Virgin of Guadalupe, patroness of America and mother of the consecrated.
In his words, the Prior General expressed:
“On the 8th you are making a pilgrimage to the Virgin of Guadalupe to win the Jubilee… on the same day we will also do it from Spain, in the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid”.
Called to sow hope
From the heart of Rome, Friar Michelangelo shared a message of encouragement for all pilgrims, centered on the Jubilee motto: Pilgrims of Hope.
“Hope is a gift, a task, and a mission. God puts it in our hearts, but we must also work for it. Today, more than ever, the world needs witnesses and builders of hope”.
This call, addressed to both religious and lay people, resonated in all those who that same day were walking towards the Guadalupan sanctuary in Mexico City, and also in those who were walking the streets of Madrid on their way to the Almudena Cathedral, led by the Prior General himself.
United as a family, with a restless heart
In his message, Friar Miguel Ángel recalled the strength of the Augustinian charism that unites the religious family beyond borders:
“We continue on pilgrimage, some in Mexico, others in Spain, but all with an Augustinian heart, a restless, passionate heart that burns with desire for God”.
The video message, recorded and broadcast on such a significant date, thus becomes a sign of spiritual and missionary unity. United by Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Augustinian Recollect family reaffirms its commitment to live this Jubilee with joy and fidelity.