Within the framework of the Jubilee of Consecrated Life, more than two hundred members of the Augustinian Recollect family gathered in Ariccia, in the outskirts of Rome, coinciding with the meeting of ongoing formation of religious of different stages: Augustinian Recollect friars with less than five years of consecrated life and others who have already completed fifty years of profession, as well as Augustinian Recollect nuns from Mexico and Spain and the Commanders of St. James.
Luis Marin de San Martin, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, who offered a profound reflection on synodality and its importance for consecrated life today. Download the full text of the talk here.
Msgr. Marín recalled that synodality is neither a novelty nor a pastoral strategy, but “a constitutive dimension of the Church”. He stressed that it is not a bureaucratic structure or an ecclesial fashion, but a spirituality of communion that has the Trinity as its model and shared discernment as its path. “The synod is neither a parliament nor a power struggle. It is a call to listen to each other, to care for each other, to live as brothers,” he said. He invited not to be afraid in this time of change, aware that tensions do not cancel out communion:
“Division is not Christian. In the Church, as in the family, there may be tensions, but what unites us is much deeper than our differences.”
Addressing the Augustinian Recollect family in particular, he insisted that the Augustinian charism – centered on community life, the search for truth and interiority – has much to contribute in this historical moment of the Church. He pointed out that consecrated life and Augustinian spirituality are examples of co-responsibility, listening and communitarian discernment. “You are not outside the synod: you are at the heart of the process,” he said.
Marín also shared his vocational experience: “I never wanted to be a diocesan priest. I have always felt that I needed to live my faith in community, to walk with others. That is why I feel at home among you”.
The Bishop stressed the importance of reading the signs of the times with realism and hope. He warned of the risk of remaining anchored in past models and invited to courageously face the current challenges, recalling that the Gospel continues to be good news for the contemporary world. Among the challenges he mentioned were the impact of artificial intelligence, the need for an integral formation of the laity and the creation of new ministries for diverse contexts.
Msgr. Marín concluded his speech by asking for prayers for the Pope and for the synodal process, and thanked the Augustinian Recollect family for their welcome.
“I have spoken to you from my heart. I believe deeply in this path. It is not an invention. It is a grace for the Church. And together, as an Augustinian family, we can be a channel for the Spirit to continue to speak to his Church today.”
Download the full text of the talk here.
