Miguel Miró, the President of the Provincial Chapter: “We Augustinian Recollects have something to say to today’s world: it’s the joy we have at being called”.

The opening day of the 125^th Provincial Chapter was a day dedicated to the laying down of the basic rules and aims and also the setting up of the different organisms that will help ensure  the smooth running of the Chapter.

The day began with a votive Mass of the Holy Spirit. The morning and afternoon sessions were dedicated to setting down the ground rules of the Chapter; choosing the members who will be looking after the various internal needs that have to be met during the Chapter. The Prior Provincial then opened the proceedings with his overview of the Province.

Mass of the Holy Spirit.

“A Provincial Chapter is a sign of our communion, of the life and  mission of the Province and the Order in  their service to the Church and humanity”, said the President of the Chapter during the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

On this 14th May we are reminded, as we celebrate the feast of the  Apostle, St Matthias, that today, the Province continues to follow his apostolic witness and continues to need the help of the Holy Spirit in discerning what the Church today is asking of the Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentino.

And so, according to Fr. Miro, we religious ought to continue to reveal in our lives the Risen Lord, especially our being loved by God  so as to evangelize and be evangelized. Our own charism of contemplative and community life is, according to Fr. Miro, a message for the world of today that is in need of this charism, transmitted through our communities and the lay people who share this charism with us.

This charism, when lived, brings joy. And so the Prior General urges all of us, through this Chapter, to overcome all discouragement, listlessness, lack of creativity, initiative, spontaneity, individualisms and any other attitudes that prevent “our joy from reaching fulfilment”.

“We cannot live wrapped up in our selves. The Church and the world need us. Therefore we must make choices whatever the cost, even  when we receive neither thanks nor recognition. Listening to the Word of God and to the signs of the times, our dialogue in prayer and with each other, are key to achieving these goals.

Opening of the Provincial Chapter

In the first session we followed the prayers set out in the Ritual of the Order, invoking the Holy Spirit, for the start of the  Chapter.

During thirty minutes the President of the Chapter underlined that the Chapter is more than just a sociological or juridical event. It’s more a detailed analysis of the whole Province that takes in “its history, it’s people, it’s projects. What we need above all is a “true sense  of Province, Order and Church”.

In the first place, he invited all the chapter members to take part, responsibly and with freedom, in a common overall search for what our communities and religious need, to overcome personal agendas, small group mentality or nationalisms.

Secondly, he invited the chapter members to be faithful to the Augustinian Recollect charism and mission, as our way of being Church and religious, as the basic criterion as we make decisions. He pointed out that “ our biggest problem is not numbers, nor the age of our religious but the lack of confidence in the vitality of our charism.

Thirdly he has reminded us that the Order is launched on a Project of revitalization and restructuring that should reach each and every one of our communities and Provinces; therefore the Province of St. Nicholas in its Provincial Chapter has to take into account this common objective of the whole Order. Even though this “changes those things we are used to and make us feel safe”. This implies  intensifying our  sense of “communion” and our working together towards  reorganization.

Lastly, he invited the religious to factor in the reality of the world the Province lives in, the particular needs in each country, the spiritual and economic crises and the particular needs of the people under our care. He asked everybody to support this task: “ whoever feels  disenchanted, let him not stop others from working towards their cherished dreams”.