6. Formation Houses

Until 1830, Saint Nicholas Province relied on volunteer missionaries from the Provinces in Spain. When this supply was interrupted in the 19th century by wars, anti-clerical laws, or crises, the decision was made to establish its own seminaries.

The first formation house of the Philippine Province in Spain was located in Alfaro, La Rioja. The building still stands but is in very poor condition. It was the initial house dedicated exclusively to the formation of candidates. Within five years, it proved too small, and the community relocated to Monteagudo, which was expanded thirty years later with a second formation house in Marcilla.

The evolution of the formation houses of the Province from 1824 is as follows:

Novices and Professed

• Intramuros, Manila, Philippines (1619-1945)
• Alfaro, La Rioja, Spain (1824-1829)
• Monteagudo, Navarra, Spain (from 1829)
• Marcilla, Navarra, Spain (1865-2005)
• Ivybridge, Devon, England (1932-1950)
• Kweiteh/Shangqiu, Henan, China (1935-1948 and from 1991)
• Aculco, Edomex, Mexico (1951-1964)
• Baguio City, Luzon, Philippines (1970-1984)
• Antipolo City, Luzon, Philippines (from 1985). From 1998, Province of Saint Ezekiel Moreno
• Quezon City, Luzon, Philippines (from 1985). From 1998, Province of Saint Ezekiel Moreno
• Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain (2005)

Aspirants and Postulants

• San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja, Spain (1878-1924)
• Lodosa, Navarra, Spain (1925-1993)
• Kweiteh/Shangqiu, Henan, China (1931-1948 and from 1991)
• Honiton, Devon, England (1934-1982 and from 2012)
• Caracas, Venezuela (1935-1939)
• Palmira, Táchira, Venezuela (from 1939). From 1948, Province of Saint Joseph, and from 2018 Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova
• Civitá Castellana, Lazio, Italy (1940-1944)
• San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Philippines (since 1948). From 1998, Province of Saint Ezekiel Moreno
• Fuenterrabía, Guipúzcoa, Spain (1950-1982)
• San Felipe del Progreso, Edomex, Mexico (1950-1955)
• Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico (1955-2020)
• Valladolid, Spain (1961-1992)
• Baguio City, Luzon, Philippines (since 1965). From 1998, Province of Saint Ezekiel Moreno
• Kensington, London, England (1970-2011)
• Coyoacán, Mexico City (1981-1987)
• Ciudad de los Niños, Cartago, Costa Rica (1984-1991)
• Tlalpan, Mexico City (from 1987)
• Oxnard, California, USA (from 1990). Provenience: Province of Saint Augustine
• Pozos de Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica (since 1991)
• Union City, NJ, USA (from 1997)
• Guaraciaba do Norte, Ceará, Brazil (from 1999)
• Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil (2002-2016)

Monteagudo, Navarre, Spain

Historical cronology:

• 1829, 22 March: Forty-three religious attended the inauguration of the College of Monteagudo at the shrine of the Virgen del Camino, Our Lady of the Way.
• 1835-1836: Despoliation; the Recollection lost all its houses in Spain, except for Monteagudo.
• 1848: Expansion with the construction of two new wings.
• 1854: Expansion with the construction of the second floor.
• 1866, 21 September: Simple profession of Saint Ezekiel Moreno.
• 1885, 9 August: Saint Ezekiel Moreno became prior.
• 1888, 10 August: Saint Ezekiel and six religious from the convent volunteered for the restoration of the Recollection in Colombia.
• 1906, 19 August: Death of Saint Ezekiel. He was interred in the church, and his room was preserved.
• 1915, 20-21 October: Exhumation and transfer of Saint Ezekiel’s remains to the presbytery of the church.
• 1915, 23 December: Simple profession of Venerable Mariano Gazpio.
• 1920, 17 July: Burial of Bishop Toribio Minguella in the presbytery.
• 1929, 8 September: Centenary of the convent and remodelling of the temple interior.
• 1941, 12 October: Foundation of the mother-house of the Misioneras Agustinas Recoletas (Augustinian Recollect Missionaries).
• 1952-1955: Mariano Gazpio served as master of novices, a post he would reassume between 1948 and 1964.
• 1954, 22 September: Coronation of the Virgen del Camino. Over a hundred religious attended the event.
• 1955-1958: Mariano Gazpio served as prior.
• 1968: First interprovincial novitiate with a record of 44 novices.
• 1986, 1 May: Inauguration of the new convent and the chapel of Saint Ezekiel.
• 2006, 10 September: Centenary of Saint Ezekiel and inauguration of his museum.
• 2010: Novitiate of the Order for Europe and the appointment of the formation team by the Prior General.

Marcilla, Navarre, Spain

On the road connecting Navarra with the centre of the Peninsula lies a town of 2,800 inhabitants, home to the imposing structure of the ancient Cistercian monastery. In 1865, the Augustinian Recollects converted it into one of the principal formation houses in the Order’s history.

Marcilla provided the definitive solution to a problem that had stifled the expansion of the Province in the Philippines until 1898 and in America and Asia afterward: the scarcity of personnel.

With the explosive growth of the world population in the 19th and 20th centuries, and consequently, the pastoral and missionary needs, the convent became somewhat small, necessitating a doubling of its size in 1942.

Approximately 2,000 Augustinian Recollects from the Province of Saint Nicholas, and at varying stages, those from Our Lady of Candelaria, Saint Thomas of Villanova, Saint Joseph, Saint Augustine, and Saint Rita, as well as those from what is now the Province of Saint Ezekiel Moreno, received their theological formation in its classrooms. Those who were later elevated to the episcopacy served in the Philippines (4), Colombia (3), China (2), Brazil (5), Mexico (2), Panama (1), Costa Rica (1), Peru (1), and Spain (1). Seven of them remained active in 2021.

A formation house of such magnitude necessitated a cloister of professors, wide-ranging and specialized, as well as a well-stocked library. The professors remained at the beck and call of the Order for tasks of permanent formation, research, conferences, workshops, and attention to the Augustinian Recollect Family and other Congregations.

For almost a century and a half, the influence of Marcilla, or rather its light, has reached the confines of the world. Around 1,300 religious have left Spain, and besides preparing missionaries, it has been the centre for promotion and raising awareness of issues through its bulletins, scholarly journals, a museum, and an original missionary philately.

In 2005, in response to the evolving demands of formation, Marcilla ceased to be a house of studies. However, it continues as a beloved place in the hearts of countless Recollects who maintain the torch that was lit there, keeping it burning brightly.

San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja, Spain

On 7 December 1997, UNESCO included the two monasteries of San Millán—Suso and Yuso—in the World Heritage list for their exceptional testimony to the introduction and permanence of monasticism since the sixth century and as a symbol of the birth of the Spanish language.

The historical narrative of these monasteries began with Saint Millan (474-573), who established the community that would become one of the most influential cultural centres in southern Europe. Its scriptorium is considered the cradle of the Castilian language.

UNESCO emphasized the continuity of monastic life, and its website declares that a prosperous community still thrives there. The glorious history that the Benedictines had written until 1835 was revived when the Province arrived in 1878 as a formation house, as the government sought to increase the number of missionaries in the Philippines.

The efforts of individuals such as Enrique Pérez and Toribio Minguella were fundamental for San Millán. Beyond the restoration of the building, parts of the library and the archive were rescued through purchase or donation.

San Millán was once again transformed into a focal point of spirituality. The campaigns organized by the Recollects succeeded in restoring the adjoining monastery of Valvanera and promoted piety and culture by maintaining a free school and establishing a trade union. Above all, San Millán fulfilled its mission of training hundreds of Recollect missionaries for the Philippines and, later, for numerous countries in America.

Maintaining such a vast edifice required significant expenditures. Only through the self-denial and dedication of the religious who worked here was the gradual improvement of its facilities and the raising of universal awareness of its enormous historical, religious, and cultural value achieved.

San Millán remained the principal formation house of the Province of Saint Joseph in 1948. Today, it continues to host events for ongoing formation and spiritual exercises. In the civil sphere, it serves as the seat of the Centro Internacional de Investigación de la Lengua Española, Cilengua – (International Research Center of the Spanish Language); it hosts institutional events and is visited annually by thousands of tourists and renowned celebrities.

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• Table of content: Treausres & places.