In the Augustinian-Recollect Family there are male religious, contemplative nuns, female religious of active life, lay people committed from their adult life and young people with restless hearts. They all have in common a feeling of being attracted by the Augustinian and Recollect values: community, interiority, love of wisdom, solidarity, austerity, service to the Church wherever and whenever she asks for it.

The inception of the female Augustinian Recollection paralleled that of the male Recollection at the Chapter of Toledo in 1588. The first monastery, Santa Isabel, was inaugurated in Madrid in 1589, followed by a second one in Salamanca in 1594.

The Recollect cloister gained momentum from 1603 with Venerable Mariana de San José, who founded several monasteries and authored Constitutions characterized by vigorous religious life, communal spirit, and ascetic demands.

The female branch of the Recollection established its presence in America in 1688, promoted by Manuel Fernández de Santacruz, bishop of Puebla, who transformed a school into a cloistered convent. This was succeeded by the foundations in Oaxaca (1697) and Guadalajara (1720).

Foundational efforts in Lima, Peru (1640-1933), Galway, Ireland (1645-1658), and Lisbon, Portugal (1664) were unsuccessful.

Monasteries are autonomous, each with its own prioress, yet they form Federations to provide mutual support, optimize resources, and enhance formation.

In 1954, the Federation in Spain was established, encompassing monasteries in Bacolod City (Philippines), Wote (Kenya), and Guatemala.

The Federation in Mexico was created in 1988, including member monasteries in Mexico, Belvidere (USA), Guaraciaba do Norte (Brazil), Lodwar (Kenya), Bogotá (Colombia), and Pozos de Santa Ana (Costa Rica).

These cloistered monasteries have been home to individuals of profound spirituality and generous hearts. In addition to the foundress Mariana de San José, notable figures include:

  • Antonia de Jesús (1612-1695), foundress of Granada, Chiclana, and Medina Sidonia in Andalusia, Spain.
  • Isabel de la Madre de Dios (1614-1687), foundress of Serradilla (Cáceres) and La Calzada de Oropesa (Toledo), Spain.
  • Guadalupe Vadillo (1874-1967), who revitalized the Recollection in Mexico.
  • Esperanza Ayerbe (1890-1967), co-foundress of the Misioneras Agustinas Recoletas.
  • Mónica de Jesús (1889-1964), recognized as Venerable by the Holy See in 1992.
Mariana de San José. Monastery of the Incarnation. Madrid, Spain.

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