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 born in Cuevas de Cañart, Teruel, Spain, on March 2, 1806. At the age of 22, he joined the Province of Saint Nicholas and expressed interest in becoming a missionary in the Philippines. He was among the first religious who, in addition to the profession of the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, committed to a fourth vow of evangelization in the Philippines.
Around the time Fray Juan entered the Province, a significant change occurred in the origin of the Recollect missionaries in the Philippines. Until then, they had been volunteers from other Provinces of the Order. However, in the final years of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, the number of volunteers decreased to the lowest levels.
The Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, seeing the establishment of its own network of seminaries in Spain as the only means of survival, sanctioned this plan during the Chapter of 1825, which marked its 200th anniversary as a Province, and decided to implement it.
Fray Juan was part of the first group of missionaries who received complete training within the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in Spain. As members of the missionary Province of the Order, they all understood from the beginning of their consecrated life that their vocation included a commitment to missionary work.
Moreover, Fray Juan represented those pioneering religious who dedicated themselves exclusively to the formation of candidates. Merely five years after his priestly ordination, he was appointed master of novices at Monteagudo, founded in 1828, and became rector the following year.
His disciples did not forget their master, and we have preserved their words of affection and admiration for him. Fray Juan was the mentor of several religious figures who played vital roles in the history of the Augustinian Recollects, such as Toribio Minguella, Francisco Sádaba, Licinio Ruiz, and Saint Ezequiel Moreno.
His teachings reflected a profound understanding of the Augustinian Recollection, and he fervently encouraged a love for this charism. He equipped them with resources for an intensive spiritual life, fostering knowledge and devotion to the Eucharist and the Church, as well as other distinctly Recollect devotions.
Beyond imparting theories, he exemplified them through his daily practice. It was said of him:
“Not only did he visit Him for many hours during the day, but also at night, after all the religious were in deep slumber, Father Juan spent many hours in the choir until very late, worshipping His God in the Blessed Sacrament…”
The fruits of his intense spiritual life were evident in two aspects of his work as a formator: his affection and dedication to his disciples, who always saw in him a father figure, and his ability to guide and counsel, becoming a religious role model.
This last quality extended beyond the convent walls when he was sought after as a counsellor by individuals such as the bishop of Tarazona.
