The TOA groups (Augustinian Prayer Workshop) of Saint Augustine (El Carmen) and Santa Magdalena de Nagasaki (Monserrat) in this Costa Rican town have grown in 2022, after reopening face-to-face meetings after the pandemic. We have the testimony of one of the coordinators.
For some time now, the Our Lady of Carmen de los Augustinian Recollects Parish in Alajuela, Costa Rica, is one of the spaces where the Agustino-Recoleta Spirituality Center (CEAR) of Costa Rica offers the Augustinian Prayer Workshop (TOA).
During the months of the pandemic, the activity continued to be carried out through the tool digital Zoom, so that the relationship between the members of the groups did not cool down, continued the formation in Augustinian spirituality and added a character of encouragement and hope before the forced isolation.
After the pandemic, the groups have met again in person, with the joy that they have metAdded new members. Workshops V (Christ lives in us) and the first part of VI (Let’s go up loving). For its part, in Monserrat there have been Workshops III (Praying in strong times) and IV (The spring of charity).
The course has recently closed with a retreat inspired by the book Lámparas de barro del Augustinian Recollect Teodoro Baztán. We have the testimony of one of the coordinators.
Testimonial: Elizabeth Conejo
One morning in 2017, a co-worker came to my office who invited me to participate in the TOA. At that moment I did not imagine that this invitation would end up modifying my walk through the lifetime. After thinking about it for a while I decided to accept. I joined the group with optimism and some expectation, since who was completely unaware of the process to follow. Little by little I became enthusiastic, to the point that the week that he could not attend for some reason, he felt an emptiness inside.
Over time that small group of people went from companions to friends, brothers. At a certain moment, the person who led the group with his wife fell ill. They asked me to take the reins. At first I didn’t know what to answer, I meditated a lot. Thinking that maybe it was because shortly, I accepted.
But it was not like that. My friend needed a lot of rest, I ended up staying in charge of the group. I ordered to the Lord his help and to enlighten me to continue forward. I devoted myself to reading and studying the works of
Saint Augustine, the books of Fray Enrique Eguiarte, everything to try to guide in the best possible way the group work.
One night I was at the six o’clock mass in the parish, because I had the meeting of the TOA at seven. I had never seen the celebrant priest before. At the end of the Eucharist I entered the sacristy to collect the meeting things, I greeted the priest and told him my name. He replied: “Pleased to meet you”. It was Fray Francisco Javier Acero, then vicar of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Augustinian Recollects for Mexico and Costa Rica. We struck up a brief conversation and I told him what
It is difficult today to bring people closer to prayer groups. He responded with the following sentence:
— “Elizabeth, always remember that Jesus started everything with twelve apostles.”
These words I always remember. In 2019 I retired and from the Parish they asked me to start a new TOA in Monserrat. For me it would be the second part of this path of love. we started a good number of people, thank the Lord. I continued working with both groups.
Unfortunately the pandemic arrived and we had to think about how to maintain everything. A part was achieved integrate with technology, but not all, since they did not handle the Internet. So to those who don’t participated online, I called them by phone. We had the pain of losing two members, with the certainty that we carry them in our hearts.
In 2022 we reopened, with God’s help we managed to get the members to return and integrate new. The group of the Parish is under the invocation of Sain Augustine and that of the Diakonia of Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki. This year that is now ending has been one of many blessings, thanks to God. Everyone is motivated and eager to move forward.
At the end of the year retreat someone asked me how I managed to carry out all the work. My answer was that the only answer that explains it is love: doing things with true affection because they are for God.
