Augustinian Feasts 2022. Boys' Town. Augustinian Recollects. Costa Rica.

Among the honorees there are three Augustinian Recollect religious who have turned 15 years old in the institution (Fray Jesús María Ramos) and 5 years old (Fray Rafael Gutiérrez and Fray Alberto Valecillos). The parades, the families, the former students once again put color and heat in the facilities of the socio-educational center.

The traditional Augustinian festivities of the Boys’ Town, socio-educational center of the Augustinian Recollects in the vicinity of Cartago (Costa Rica) have once again filled the institution’s facilities with music, color and warmth.

A large number of former students returned to the place where they had learned a trade and values for a lifetime, accompanied by their families; also a good number of families of the current beneficiaries and friends of Boys’ Town were present and took advantage of the atmosphere of band music, food sales or sports activities.

About a thousand people have lived the most joyful moments of these festivities, including the traditional procession with St. Augustine from the main entrance to the church of Our Lady of Consolation, accompanied by bands of traditional Costa Rican music (“cimarrona”). Then the Eucharist took place.

Upon leaving the Mass, a parade was held in which the independent band Lions Soul, the bands of the Carlos Peralta schools of Guadalupe and Monsignor Sanabria of San Rafael, the folkloric groups Sueños y Semillas ( Dreams and Seeds) and Costa Rica Pura Vida participated.

The parade ended next to the Graduate Tree, in which the former students signed a symbolic sheet that recalls that they have been part of the history of the Boys’ Town and their lives are already bearing fruit with what they learned and lived in the institution.

As a special guest of these Augustinian festivities was the Municipality of Oreamuno, In addition, in the fair there were more than 50 food and craft stalls.

Tribute to collaborators

The end of these festive days had a culmination in the form of tribute and gratitude to the collaborators who turned 15, 10 and 5 years old as part of the work teams of the Boys’ Town.

A total of 23 people received this distinction, of which four turned 15, three turned 10 and sixteen turned five. Among them were three religious; Fray Jesús María Ramos has collaborated with the Boys’ Town for the last fifteen years; and five years were the recollect religious Rafael Gutiérrez and Alberto Valecillos.