Some of the treasures of the history of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and the environments and spaces where it has carried out its work throughout history and today.
Since the first half of the 17th century, Saint Nicholas Province has engaged with ethnic minorities, starting with the Aetas or Negritos in Zambales, who remain marginalized to this day.
In Taiwan, since 1964, Filipino workers at the petrochemical complex in Linyuan, comprising 20% of the immigrants, have received support. In addition to celebrating sacraments in their language, they were assisted in cases of work exploitation.
By 1990, this support extended to the aboriginal inhabitants of Formosa, Malayan tribes physically and culturally akin to Filipinos, who made up less than 2% of the population. Half of them resided in the highlands, preserving their traditions and languages. In the mountain parishes served by Saint Nicholas Province (Santimen, Wu-Tai, and Machia-Hsiang), the Paiwan, of whom 20% are Catholic, are the predominant group.
During this period, the Province expanded its apostolate to the southern United States. The boundaries of two parishes in El Paso, Texas (Holy Angel and Santa Teresa) adjoin Mexico, and many parishioners are migrants. Pastoral care was also extended to nearby deportation centres.
With the Province’s establishment in Union City, New Jersey (1997), a more systematic Hispanic pastoral ministry began with the administration of the Guadalupe Centre (1998-2013), which provided training for Hispanic leaders in the Diocese of Newark. The centre organized courses, retreats, stay-ins, and seminar-workshops until its closure due to economic reasons.
Since 2003, the Province has been active among Latinos in London. Urged by the dioceses of Southwark and Westminster, the Latin American Chaplaincy was established and entrusted to the Augustinian Recollects. Initially, services were itinerant; later, the Chaplaincy office opened in the Parish of Saint Anne in Vauxhall, adding consultancy and conferences.
The presence of Chinese Recollect friars and Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters since 2007 enabled the celebration of Mass in Mandarin at Santa Rita Parish in Madrid. Alongside catechesis and special celebrations, services expanded until the Diocese established the Chinese Chaplaincy. In conjunction with liturgy and bible school, Spanish language classes, legal consultancy, translation during medical assistance, psychological support, tours, and healthy family leisure activities were also offered.
