On the 6th February Bishop David Arias presided over the Eucharist in the church of St.Monica, in the Mexican capital, which brought to a close the renewal course 2010. Throughout the four weeks the participants were able to experience how the Word of God gives new life to the Augustinian Recollect charism, renews their lives and sends them out to make communion and work in mission.
Word and life
Those taking part in the third week were able to consider their personal and community life in the light of the Word of God. Carlos González, the Vicar in Mexico, put forward the basic anthropological and theological elements; Konrad Scheafer, Prior of the Benedictine Monastery of Cuernavaca, dealt with living out the psalms; Javier Monroy, formator of postulants at St. Augustine’s encouraged people to pray the bible so as to experience God and proposed a map for doing lectio divina; Javier Acero, parish priest of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hospitales México City, made a presentation on how to build a personal project from our own Augustinian Recollect way of life.
Word and mission
A variety of themes were presented in the fourth week. From their own personal witness people considered how the Word makes them disciples of Jesus and sends them out to the Continental Mission proposed in Aparecida. The journalist Tere García, a member of the OAR secular fraternity, in her witness, reminded those who were there that “there is no such thing as charity without sacrifice”, and called people to “live out their consecration and so offer society what it most needs today”. Eduardo Carballido, who coordinates the CARDI Project, asked what type of formation the lay people might want. Javier Tello, Augustinian Recollect and formator in the postulant house in Palmira Venezuela, reminded folk of the challenges and map for the Continental Mission. Bishop Carlos Briseño, auxiliary in Mexico City, began witnessing to the importance of the Word in his own life. In a frank and open dialogue he emphasised the importance of communion in the life of the Church. Pope Benedict’s message “The Priest and his pastoral work in a digital world: the new media serving the Word” gave rise to a conversation about the web page of the Order.
Mexico and the Augustinians
On the 30th the did the Route of Augustinian Convents in Morelos State. On the 27th January those doing the course got to see the three churches in the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Cuernavaca run by the Recollects. They also visited the Convent of Augustinian Recollect nuns. After spending some time with the Sisters they headed for the Finca Centenario, where the friars from the Distrito in Mexico City have a retreat place.
On the 30th the did the Route of Augustinian Convents in Morelos State. They visited the monasteries in Ocuituco, Yecapixtla, Atlatlahucan, Totolapan and Tlayacapan. On the 31st January they went to the Convent in Acolman, now a museum of colonial art, where the “Christmas time posadas” saw the light of day. These XVI century monasteries, a UNESCO World Heritage site, allows people to admire the amazing work done by the Augustinian friars in the first evangelization of this land.