The closing ceremony took place in the assembly hall of St. Thomas of Villanova College, in the city of Granada. It simply consisted of a conference delivered by Juan Aranda Doncel, a great knowledgeable of the religious history of Andalucia, who presented his new book: The Augustinian Recollects in Andalucia. The convent of St. Nicholas of Tolentine de la Villa de Luque (1626-1835). He was presented by Jose Maria Sanchez, general counselor of the Order, who also recounted the activities done during the Centenary Year.
Among those present, four of the prior provincials of Spain were prominent, Carlos Maria Dominguez and Sergio Sanchez, as well as the representatives of the other provinces and of the Diocese, a good number of religious from the different houses of the area, the augustinian recollect sisters, brothers of secular fraternities, professors of the College and friends in general of the Order.
Concluding the ceremony was the giving of commemorative souvenir to each of the Augustinian-recollect communities present and to the representatives of other provinces and of the Diocese of Granada.
Afterwards the Prior Provincial of St. Thomas of Villanova, Carlos Maria Dominguez, presided the Eucharist in the neighboring paris, which takes also the name of Santo Limosnero. All around him gathered all the Augustinian recollects and plenty of the faithful.
During the homily, Dominguez emphasized the importance of the presence of the OAR in Granada during all along this four centuries, as fruit has produced plenty of male and female religious vocations, saints and martyrs, missionaries, preachers and teachers.
The presence of the Order in Granada today
The actual presence of the Order in Granada took shape in varied apostolic missions: parochial, educational, formative and social. Aside from the college and parish above mentioned, where the ceremony took place, at the center of the capital is found the Church and the community of Corpus Christi, known as the Hospitallers, from there the chaplaincy of the cementery of St. Jose of the city is also attended.
A stone throw away from Granada, in the neighborhood of Monachil, is found the historical Convent-Seminary of our Lady of Good Counsel, with its house of Spirituality and the center of devotion for St. Rita. And in the south of the province, in Motril, is also found the presence of Nuestra Senora de la Victory, the Educational Center of St. Augustine and the parish of St. Joseph.
And it is not only that. The Augustinian-recollect presence in Granada is more than that. In no other place is found the great concentration of contemplative monasteries just as in the province of Granada. There are three: that of St. Thomas of Villanova, and of the Corpus Christi, in the capital; and that of the Nazarenas de la Visitiacion, in Motril. Added to them are the three communities of the Augustinian recollect sisters: two from the city of Granada and one from the Las Gabias, in the provincial town.