Six aspirants to live as lay Augustinian Recollects and the issuance of their promises by Jorge Alejandro Rome were joyfully welcomed by the Secular Augustinian-Recollect Fraternity of Saint Magdalena of Nagasaki.
On April 24, the day of the liturgical feast of the Conversion of Saint Augustine, Jorge issued his promises to Alejandro Romero Quiroz and became part of the Augustinian-Recollect Family. After having experienced for a time the life of a lay Augustinian Recollect, knowing the Rule of life, Jorge Alejandro, by his promises, driven by the grace of God and under the protection of Mary, queen, and Mother of Consolation, committed himself to be a witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In an emotional Eucharistic celebration presided over by Javier Igal Gaínza, Augustinian Recollect spiritual advisor of said fraternity, and concelebrated by frater David Molina, of the Community of Saint Pius, Jorge Alejandro renewed his baptismal promises and promised to strive for the perfection of Christian life in the spirit of the evangelical counsels and the beatitudes, according to the Rule of life of the Secular Augustinian Recollects, and in the spirit of the Rule of Saint Augustine, received the distinctive sign of the fraternity, which will remind him of his vocation and commitments.
Likewise, six lay people: María Dolores Correa Sosa, María Genoveva Alonso González, Beatriz Esperanza Márquez Meléndez, Eduardo Alberto Castellanos Martínez, Marcela Hernández Uribe, and Sergio Armando Azuela Matías began their trial period, who, feeling with a vocation to being lay Augustinian Recollects, they asked to enter the fraternity to start their time of formation and life experience before issuing their promises. For this reason, they received the Manual of the Fraternity from Sylvia Chávez Gómez, president of the Fraternity, who welcomed them.
They were accompanied by brothers from the Querétaro Secular Fraternity, who warmly welcomed them with a brotherly hug. After the homily, frater Javier accepted the promises of Jorge Alejandro in the name and place of father Miguel Ángel Hernández Domínguez, prior general of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, and declared him a member of the fraternity of Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki and son of the Augustinian-Recollect Family, making him a sharer in his spiritual goods.
After the final blessing, frater David Molina addressed a few words of congratulations to the brothers and gratitude to God because the Augustinian Recollect charism is still alive in the Church.
At the end of the liturgical act, the song “See what sweetness, what delight” was sung, upon signing the corresponding minutes. After the liturgical celebration, there was a fraternal gathering, sharing a refreshment and the joy of having new fraternal members in the Augustinian-Recollect Family.
