Historical and biographical review of some of the main figures of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects from its foundation to the present day.
He was the first prior provincial of the Province of Saint Ezekiel Moreno in 1998. His life was marked by being the first: he was the first Filipino rector of Colegio de San Jose (1970-1973) in Cebu City, and the first Filipino vicar provincial of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in the Philippines and China—and the last before the Vicariate was converted into a Province.
Apart from his service in governance, his apostolate, which filled his curriculum vitae, was education. He lived this with intensity and passion, sometimes as a team member, other times as rector or president, as he did in Cebu City, in San Sebastian College in Manila (1982-1988), and San Sebastian College in Cavite City (1979-1982 and 1994-1997), his favourite place. His experience also included the formation apostolate at the college seminary of Casiciaco Recoletos in Baguio City. He worked as well in the Recollect parish in the Bronx, New York City.
The 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s were trying times. On top of the tense socio-political situation, these were times of strong tensions in the religious life in the Philippines, even among the Recollects. In simple terms, after four centuries, the Spanish period was coming to an end, and the time of the Filipinos was beginning. Aside from the clash of generations, the change was more profound, proper to that period, and young Filipino religious took hold of what would be the new province.
Needed to lead this transition were persons with the gift of people and diplomacy, with such maturity as not to fall into the simplistic trap of Spanish against Filipino, who maintained the ideals, identifying themselves with their own history, proud of that past and unwavering in continuing it. And Víctor Lluch was proud of being a Recollect, of the Recollect history in the Philippines and its Spanish protagonists.
He used his indubitable ascendancy over his compatriots to inculcate in them that same collective pride, urging them to be worthy of continuing the mission handed over to them.
In this undertaking, he made use of the enormous human capital he had at his disposal, his numerous and varied qualities, referred to in the obituary dedicated to him by the Province of Saint Ezekiel when he passed away on 18 June 2004:
Probably, he was the most picturesque Filipino Recollect who ever lived.
And in order not to give way to imaginations, it added:
He was a father to all.
Perhaps without claiming it, it pointed out with this phrase which, according to Saint Augustine, is the nuclear reality of the religious superior who is not to be a good organizer nor a charismatic leader but, simply, a father.
