It´s a month of retreat and life in community with other friars with the aim of “looking at the fundamental nucleus”, according to the secretary general of Formation and Spirituality, Javier Monroy
A score of Augustinian Recollects meet in Buenos Aires (Argentina) for the renewal course. From January 14 to February 10, the Augustinian Recollect Friars aim to forget their daily occupations and reflect on their life and vocation.
For a month 20 friars of eight different nationalities will be in Buenos Aires: Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Argentina. The General Secretariat for Formation and Spirituality organizes once a year the renewal course that each friar must carry out at least once every 10 years.
The Secretary General of Formation and Spirituality, Javier Monroy, is in Buenos Aires in charge of this training course that will run until almost half of February. He explains the purpose and objective of these training days.
What is a renewal course?
“It is a special experience, it is at least every 10 years, the religious are asked to participate in a continuous formation for a month, forget everything and look at the fundamental nucleus of the person, it means stopping in an oasis to go back to the sources. As one of the friars who participated in the first day said, it is a novitiate again, it is not about learning things from life but about spirituality, in conclusion, renewing itself, as the name says”, Javier Monroy explains.
Why is it so important to do it?
“As we said, it is like a novitiate, it means returning to the origin of the vocation, it does not mean rethinking the vocation, but to deepen the foundations and the center of each one and how it develops the vocation. to renew the charisma in each participant”, says.
What is done in a renewal course?
“In a renewal course,” explains the General Secretary of Spirituality, “activities are organized in different areas so that the person can touch that” fundamental nucleus “, its center, there is a week of spiritual exercises, another week we will dedicate it to young people, vocations and discernment, the third week will be dedicated to the spiritual life and finally we will treat community life, the objective is that community life is made here and a relationship with Augustinian Recollects from other countries and places is created”.
Why is it done every 10 years?
“For some years now, the General Secretariat of Spirituality has encouraged the friars to take this course once every ten years, although it is not an obligation, for the majority of those who are here it is the first or the second. to renew their commitment and return to the center, so each friar must see when he should do it”, says Monroy.