Twenty-one nuns representing as many monasteries participated, sharing experiences, reflections, prayer, and mutual support in a task where the laity became essential collaborators, given the characteristics of cloistered monasteries.
The meeting of the 21 vocational promoters of monasteries of the Federation of Augustinian Recollect Nuns of Mexico took place in the monastery of Our Lady of Carmen in Manuel Doblado (Guanajuato, Mexico) from August 14 to 19. They were accompanied by the Augustinian Recollect sisters Isaac Almaraz, a vocational promoter in Mexico, and Hector Molina and David Molina.
Among the topics discussed were a general vision of the Christian vocation, an analysis of the reality of youth today; Augustinian-Recollect Youth as a space to live the Augustinian-Recollect identity, its five distinctive notes, and a guide for the formation of new groups.
The Augustinian Recollect Vocational Itinerary (IVAR) was also studied and reflected upon in detail, as was the creation of itineraries that were applied in a practical way to the reality of each monastery and the environment where it is located.
There was also talk about the formation of Vocational Animation Teams with the help of the lay people and the people who collaborate the most with each monastery; in this way, the vocational promoters, in addition to their task, become incentivized by the baptismal vocation of all lay people.
When dealing more specifically with the vocation to contemplative life, six specific criteria were established to be presented to a young woman at the time of beginning a vocational process, so that she understands the particularity of contemplative and community life in a monastery of Augustinian Recollect nuns.
The climate was one of fraternal coexistence, prayer, study, group reflection, and evaluation of the work already done to strengthen the weakest points and learn from successes, share possible activities and materials, as well as always supporting each other in a task that, although the promoters carry out in the environment of their monastery is always enriched by the knowledge and experiences of the other vocational promoter sisters.
