During the week of October 24-28, the Vicariate of the United States held its spiritual exercises at the Priory of Oxnard, California; a place where the fourteen participants enjoyed optimal conditions for reflection and coexistence.
The nine Augustinian Recollect communities in the United States participated in these spiritual exercises in Spanish and in May in English. The first friars to arrive were religious from El Paso, Texas and Union City, New Jersey. The rest arrived in Los Angeles on Monday, October 24. Fray Sergio Sanchez who until June was the Provincial of the Province of San Nicolas de Tolentino accepted the invitation made by Fray Marlon Beof, Vicar of the Vicariate of the United States to guide the days of retreat in Spanish.
Sergio Sanchez officially began the week of spiritual exercises on Monday at 3:00 pm, after everyone settled in their rooms and had the opportunity to greet each other in the corridors of the priory.
During the week, each evening the Eucharist was presided over by a different brother, thus enriching the day’s reflection. Fray Sergio Sánchez guided the reflection through the community Lectio Divina, the Holy Hour and the penitential service with the opportunity to celebrate reconciliation among the participants.
It was a positive experience to meet again in the Priory after the years of the pandemic that did not allow meeting to celebrate spiritual retreats, the participants affirmed.
Oxnard Priory is a space that makes the friars feel at home when they gather for special occasions. The newly renovated rooms with their own bathroom and common areas such as the chapel, conference rooms, dining room and gardens were the perfect setting for the retreat.