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Bishop's message

by OAR Bishops | Photography: Rafael Nieto
San Millán de la Cogolla, 2008 November 30th
First Sunday of Advent

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At the invitation of the General Council of the Order, we, fourteen bishops who live our religious and pastoral adventure at the periphery of the community, held the Meeting of Augustinian Recollect Bishops in the monastery of Yuso, on November 24 to 30, 2008, in the context of the commemoration of the centenary of the General Chapter of San Millán.

During the meeting, we had the opportunity to share experiences and truly relive the Augustinian Recollect spirituality, our spirituality, as members of the Order wherein we have professed.

As Augustinian Recollects, we thank God, provident Father, for our being born into a Christian family, where we received the faith and love of Jesus Christ and his Church; here we have been kindly and mysteriously called to be consecrated in truth, unity and charity. Formed in the principles and charism of the Augustinian identity, we received the rich doctrine of anima una et cor unum in Deum, which our formators bequeathed to us, as a patrimony which we have endeavored to live out.

Called by the love of God, in his Son Jesus Christ, to be successors of the Apostles, we are clearly aware of the burden of our episcopacy and of the service which it requires of us in the building up of the Church. Even though we live our bond to the Order in a particular way, our affection and gratitude towards her grows every day: from her we drink and nourish ourselves. It is just and grateful to give her back our love now and, in her name, to exercise our ministry.

We live day by day the journey of our Order, we are sincerely interested in her aspirations and we participate joyfully in her triumphs and, sadly in her human limitations. Every day we join in prayer for her intentions, particularly her care for vocations and the response to give to the missionary and pastoral spreading of the Gospel.

From each one of our ministries and, marked by the doctrine of our Father, we strive to be Gospel witnesses in our Augustinian Recollect identity, lovers of the Church and vigilant pastors, at the service of the people entrusted to us. With all of you we share the concern of society today in the face of great economic crisis, with the grave consequences affecting us all. It is the propitious occasion to remember and live out the principle of St Augustine: It is better to need little than to have much.

We kept in remembrance and prayer the six brother bishops who, for health reasons or pastoral commitments, could not enrich us with their presence. We thank their messages of solidarity and communion.

We want to manifest our gratitude to the Father General and his Council, to the Fathers Provincial, to the community of San Millán for their reception and services, to the diocesan bishop Juan Jose Omelia, and to Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re for his orientations and companionship.

We extend our words of encouragement and hope to all the youth of our Order, whom we invite to respond generously and courageously to the call of the Lord and to fear not to give their life to the cause of the Gospel, especially in mission lands.

We give thanks to God, our Mother of Consolation, our Saints of the Order and, in particular, St Ezekiel Moreno, model religious and Augustinian Recollect pastor, whose life and example spurs us on to strive for holiness, because he knew how to live with spiritual strength the situations as difficult as the ones many of us are facing today.

San Millán, meeting place

On the Centenary of the Chapter of San Millan, this historic La Rioja monastery hosts the Meeting of Augustinian Recollect bishops on November 24 to 30, 2008.

From 24th to 30th November at least 14 Augustinian Recollects bishops from around the world will gather in the convent of San Millán de la Cogolla (La Rioja, Spain) and take part in the meeting with the General Council and the eight Provincials of the Order.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Brother General of the Augustinian Order will preside at the meeting.

Today there are 20 Recollect bishops spread out in nine countries in America and Asia. Fourteen of these have confirmed they will be at the meeting which has the double aspect of formation -with different themes and conferences - and of a get together.