The House of Spirituality of the Augustinian Recollects in Mexicowas opened on the 23rd April. The date was the eve of the feast of the Conversion of St Augustine, and fell within Easter week. It’s worth noting thatSt Augustine was baptized on Easter night in the year 387. The house will be able to accommodate groups of one hundred persons in double rooms, and is situated in Ahuatepec, in the state of Morelos
Within a site of 7,412 square metres, of which the buildings occupy 2,700 square metres, the Centres of Augustinian Recollect Spirituality inMexico CityandQueretarowill offer courses in Augustinian spirituality and philosophy, inspired by the Recollection. Spiritual exercises and the St Augustine Prayer Workshops will also take place here. Augustinian Recollects -whether friars, religious sisters and enclosed nuns, or lay members- will participate in weeks of formation, as well as making silent retreats.
The House of Spirituality has a chapel dedicated to the family ofBethany, those friends of Jesus who were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Mary symbolizes contemplation and intimate dialogue with the one who is the Word; Martha, the apostolate and service; and Lazarus, a loving friendship with Jesus. these are most certainly the special features of Augustinian Recollect spirituality, which encourages the interior life, a life in community, and the service of others.
The Opening
Both male and female religious and lay members of the Augustinian Recollect order attended the ceremony. In charge of the house is the Augustinian Recollect, Javier Garcia Echeverria, who received the keys to the chapel. This took place during the blessing of the chapel, which preceded the celebration of the opening Mass, in which the gospel telling of the risen Jesus’ meeting with the disciples on the road to Emmaus was read.
In his sermon, Carlos Gonzalez Castellanos, vicar provincial of the Order inMexicoandCosta Rica, pointed out that is was perhaps more than thirty years since the idea first emerged of having a house of prayer and study, a dream that is now a reality. He underlined how we are evangelizers sharing the faith out of joy and affection, and this is the plan for the House of Spirituality. He rejoiced that at the opening ceremony there should be representatives of the Augustinian Recollect family: Friars, nuns, missionary sisters, and lay members: ‘This is a house in which we want to fulfil all the initiatives of the Centres of Augustinian Recollect Spirituality, which have the desire to share with everyone the Recollect spirituality, the gifts of the holy Spirit, and everything to do with the inner life, prayer, evangelization, life in community, interpersonal communication and sharing of goods’.
The mural in the chapel, depictingBethany, was painted by Jaime Dominguez. The architect Luciano Urdieta and the engineers Carlos Esquivel and Fernando Magana attended the event, and they reported that the project, started in March 2013, was completed in March 2014