The two venues where the course has been held have been the Parish of Our Lady of Consolation in the Boyacá Real in Bogotá (July 21 to August 4) and the convent of the Desert of Candelaria (Boyacá), seven kilometres from Ráquira (August 5 to 24).
The Augustinian Recollect José Antonio Hernández (Malinalco, Mexico, 1990) has been one of the participants in the special Month of preparation for solemn profession, which has taken place in Colombia between July 21 and August 24.
“Living these days in these places has been a great experience, I have felt a spiritual and human integration with brothers from very different places. Apart from the initial formation, we have dealt with topics such as the evangelical counsels, the wisdom of the community, interiority or ecclesiality.
These are very important themes in the life of the consecrated person. Living this formation has been a reencounter with myself, with God, with my Recollect community, which welcomes me, receives me, integrates me.
The personal experience of the charismatic values of the Augustinian Recollect Family makes the community itself enriched; we enrich each other and the community as a whole. We are very happy for the formation received these days, and for the good integration among us, even though we did not all know each other previously. We are grateful for what they do for us and for our formation.”
The special Month of preparation for solemn profession annually welcomes the professed religious candidates to make solemn profession throughout the Order of Augustinian Recollects, once they are in the last stage of their initial formation and already participating in the experience of community and pastoral insertion.
It lasts about five weeks and its fundamental objective is to become a whole life experience that revolves around the charismatic values of the Augustinian Recollect. Beyond data or the acquisition of knowledge, the course reinforces in each of the participants the vocational aspects that have led them to want to commit themselves as Augustinian Recollect religious for life.
In this sense, “learning” is combined with terms such as experiencing, feeling, seeking, establishing foundations. The essential axes are the community and interpersonal relationships, interiority and transcendence, the feeling of being “pilgrims,” members of a Church, and the real experience of the evangelical counsels: affections and sexuality from the vow of chastity; the control of the desire for power and the exercise of humility of heart from the vow of poverty; the reinforcement of the idea of service and availability from the vow of obedience.
The seven participants have developed their personal Life Project during the five weeks, incorporating the various topics discussed as time went by. In addition, they have maintained personalized accompaniment.
The seven participants (Judd Casocot, Mc Airel Sadang, Joseph Neil Enclonar, Jeferson Sá Silva, Carlos Riera, José Antonio Hernández and Bernardo Contreras) belong to the Provinces of Saint Nicholas de Tolentine, Saint Thomas of Vilanova and Saint Ezequiel Moreno and are natives of the Philippines, Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil.
They were accompanied by a training team of four members coordinated by the Augustinian Recollect Fabián Martín, general councilor. Up to eight speakers participated, either in person (Danilo Janeguitz, Héctor Manuel Calderón, Kenneth Onda, Jhon Eduard Olarte, Fabián Martín) or virtually (Jaazeal Jakosalem, Antonio Carrón and the prior general, Miguel Ángel Hernández, who spoke on “Being an Augustinian Recollect today”).
The two venues where the course was held were the Parish of Our Lady of Consolation in the Boyacá Real neighborhood of Bogotá (July 21 to August 4) and the historic convent of the Candelaria Desert (Boyacá), seven kilometers from the city of Ráquira (August 5 to 24).
There was also time to learn about the traces and historical footprints of the Augustinian Recollection in Bogotá, visit the monastery of the contemplative Augustinian Recollects Nuns founded by the Federation of Mexico, visit the convent of La Popa in Cartagena de Indias, and make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Chiquinquirá.
The final week was dedicated to the Augustinian spiritual retreat, offered by Recollects Fabián Martín and Enrique Eguiarte.
For Airel, the reflection on the evangelical counsels was fundamental: “For years I have sought to live the vows, but defined according to my preferences or choices. During the course I have seen that I should not focus on my standards, but rather to follow the example of Christ, living without excuses as He did, not in my complacency.”
Joseph said that he found the experience of the Month “formative, with intensive and comprehensive themes; and revealing, because it has opened my eyes to the realities of the Recollects beyond my personal experience in the Philippines, broadens my horizons and contributes to my growth as a member of a large and extended Family.”
Judd said that he had learned about “the cultural similarities and differences between Filipinos and Latinos: we share values of kindness, hospitality, respect and religiosity; but our liturgical practices and our cuisine differ greatly.”
During their stay at the convent in the Desert of Candelaria, the participants in the Month of Preparation had the opportunity to experience the 420th anniversary of the birth of the Augustinian Recollection in America in that very place, with the foundation on August 12, 1604 of the monastic and regular life of several hermits under the spiritual direction of Mateo Delgado.
